Protein Supplement Abuse???

Posted By elissa on Feb 3, 2010 | 4 comments

I was perusing the food/ingredient news this morning, and did a double-take on this headline: “Study: athlete protein supplement abuse common.”

Wow.  Athletes just can’t catch a break from some people… now they’re “abusing” protein supps??? Sounds major! 

Certainly the lead author of the study seems to think so:

“The role of proteins is particularly misunderstood,” Fréchette said, noting studies that have shown 12 to 20 percent of products regularly used by athletes contain prohibited substances. “Only one out of four consumers could associate a valid reason, backed by scientific literature, for taking the product according.”

The PhD student reported that the supplements taken rarely delivered performance-enhancing benefits and could be contaminated with unauthorized pharma substances and other ingredients.

“Their purity and preparation aren’t as controlled as prescription medication,” he said. “Sports supplements often contain other ingredients than those listed on the label. Some athletes consume prohibited drugs without knowing.”

Uhhhh… let’s talk about that not “backed by scientific literature” statement for a second.  It’s an argument that cuts both ways. We’re talking about protein here, after all. Does this guy have ANY evidence whatsoever, that protein supplements “often contain other ingredients than those listed on the label”???  If so, he should tell us what it is.  If not, then he’s got some explaining to do: what does using protein supps have to do with consuming “prohibited drugs without knowing”?

This isn’t science – it’s wild extrapolation.

But then again, wild extrapolation appears to be the norm for this guy.

“No less than 81 percent of athletes taking supplements already had sufficient protein from their diet,” says Fréchette. “The use of multivitamins and minerals can make up for an insufficient intake of calcium, folate yet not for lack of potassium.”

What’s more, consumers of supplements had levels of sodium, magnesium, niacin, folate, vitamin A and iron that exceeded the acceptable norms. “This makes them susceptible to health problems such as nausea, vision trouble, fatigue and liver anomalies,” says Fréchette.

What kills me is that he’s drawing these grim conclusions from… questionnaires and self-reported diet journals from 42 athletes –  there’s no mention of any clinical data. From what I can tell, there’s exactly zero evidence of actual health problems, let alone “nausea, vision trouble, fatigue and liver anomalies.” And what on earth does he mean by “acceptable norms?” As a “scientist,” he should be speaking in terms of  dietary reference intakes (DRIs), RDAs, AIs or upper limits (ULs). There’s no reason to use a vague phrase like “acceptable norms,” unless, of course, the goal is to confuse, vs. enlighten. Exceeding the RDA for a nutrient is one thing; exceeding the UL (conservative or not) is quite another.  Which is it?

Sigh… 🙁

There’s more to being a scientist than simply crunching numbers and moving “science stuff” around in a lab… there’s a mindset involved. And part of that mindset involves understanding and correcting for your own biases – something Fréchette evidently hasn’t learned yet.

Are athletes consuming more protein than they need to?  Certainly that’s possible: lord knows I’ve done my share of lecturing on the forums I mod about focusing on diet and using supps sparingly.  But I’ve seen scant evidence of any actual harm, either to health or performance, from drinking a daily protein shake or two.  So if Fréchette wants his warnings to be taken seriously, he’s going to have to do better than this.