Muscles, Lies, and Speed: What the Sport Supplement Industry Does Not Want Athletes or Consumers to Know

In 2000, the "Nutrition Business Journal" reported that health-conscious consumers and athletes combined spent more than $5 billion in that year on various sport supplements that promised to enhance their health, physical development, or performance. But do these supplements really offer the benefits they claim in their advertising and on their packaging? And are they safe? David Lightsey, the nutrition and food science advisor to an award-winning consumer advocacy Web page, maintains that the sports supplement industry regularly and knowingly makes false claims, and since it has yet to be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, consumers are unprotected from products that are unnecessary, may cause great harm, or even lead to death. Aware that much of the problem stems from a lack of information about general nutrition, dietary supplements, and beneficial lifestyle changes, Lightsey provides answers to such questions as: do excessive protein supplements actually hinder performance and strength gains? Can over-the-counter supplements be more effective than steroids? Why are fat cells so easy to accumulate and so hard to diminish in size? Are antioxidants helpful or harmful? Which dietary changes have the most effect on physical development and training? How much body fat can be safely lost in one week? In "Muscles, Lies, and Speed", Lightsey helps educators, consumers, coaches, athletes, and parents navigate through all of the hype about supplements, and he offers advice on alternative dietary changes that can yield much healthier and longer-lasting results than the latest "miracle" pill. It is a daring expose of one of America's most lucrative industries.

About the Author :
DAVID LIGHTSEY is an exercise physiologist and nutritionist who has worked for the past sixteen years with the National Council Against Health Fraud, a non-profit consumer advocacy organization combating misinformation in the health marketplace. He is also an advisor to www.Quackwatch.com.

Review :
"The most thorough investigation [of the sport supplement industry] has been conducted by David Lightsey, an exercise physiologist and nutritionist who coordinates the National Council Against Health Frauds Task Force on Ergogenic Aids." --Stephen Barrett, MD, and Victor Herbert, MD, JD, authors of "The Vitamin Pushers: How the Health Food Industry Is Selling America a Bill of Goods"