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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview With Jeffrey Stout, Jose Antonio
Aired February 16, 2002 - 08:45 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: Now, some of you aspiring Olympic athletes out there may have considered taking sports supplements to boost your performance. If so, you may want to check out a book called "The Sports Supplement Encyclopedia."
Joining us now from Miami are the editors, Jeffrey Stout and Jose Antonio.
Mr. Stout, let me ask you first, what exactly are we talking about when we talk about supplements?
JEFFREY STOUT, CO-EDITOR, "SPORTS SUPPLEMENT ENCYCLOPEDIA": Well, sports supplements are nutrients intended to support an active lifestyle. Whether you're an Olympic athlete or you're a weekend warrior, supplements can improve your overall nutrition program.
MESERVE: Mr. Antonio, are they effective? Do they really enhance performance? I've seen some debate on this, which questions that.
JOSE ANTONIO, CO-EDITOR, "SPORTS SUPPLEMENT ENCYCLOPEDIA": Actually, that's a great question. It really depends on your goals. Let's say, for instance, you're a strength athlete. There are particular supplements you can take, such as creatine, that can actually enhance muscular strength, muscular power, also increase lean body mass, which is extremely important for a strength athlete.
On the other hand, you have endurance athletes. There are supplements that might help them. For instance, there are carbohydrate formulas that can help them either during the event or as a recovery agent.
So you have supplements that are good for either extreme of the athletic spectrum.
MESERVE: Well, who should be taking them? Should the average weekend athlete be indulging in these?
ANTONIO: Well, that's a good question. It really, again, depends on your goals. If you're an average athlete, let's say your general goal is overall fitness. Certainly you can use supplements to replace foods that may not be the best food choices. For instance, you could take a protein supplement that's low in saturated fat as opposed to, let's say, getting a fast food burger, which may have the same amount of protein, but could be layered with saturated fat.
So in my mind there's a clear choice as to which could be better in terms of helping you reach your exercise goals.
MESERVE: But, you know, there are people who say you shouldn't take these, what you should be doing is eating properly and training right and you'll get the results you want. What do you say to that?
ANTONIO: Well, actually, you know, that's a good point. I mean supplements are not meant to replace food. I think we should make that clear, and I'm sure my colleague, Dr. Stout, would agree. You could look at supplements as a training tool, kind of like getting the best pair of shoes, getting the best coat, having the best weight training equipment. You've got to look at it as a tool to achieve a particular goal in your specific sport.
Don't look at it as a replacement for food. That, in our opinion, would be a big mistake.
MESERVE: Dr. Stout, let me ask you about the reports I've read that kids are taking these supplements, in some cases kids as young as 10 years old, kids who want to perform well in their local teams. Should they be taking these things?
STOUT: Well, first, they should be consulting with their parents. I think the parents really should look at what they're taking. But if you're asking me, for instance, a sports supplement bar, which is basically a nutrient dense bar that has vitamins and minerals, low in fat, good quality protein, I think those are a great substitute than having a hamburger and some French Fries. But as far as improving the performance and the specific supplements, I would highly suggest that the parents are intimately involved in those kind of decisions.
MESERVE: Do we really know what the long-term effects of these supplements might be on health, particularly children's health?
STOUT: Currently there's no research on that right now, depending on which supplement you're talking about. If you're talking about just like a protein bar or a meal replacement powder, I don't personally think those are dangerous. But if you're talking about other specific nutrients, then there isn't long-term data on that.
MESERVE: Gee, if there's no research on it, wouldn't you think the cautious person would say not for me?
ANTONIO: Well, it depends. I think, for instance, one of the more popular supplements taken by strength athletes is creatine. And certainly creatine has been a source of controversy in terms of whether or not it actually has long-term harmful effects. And there are published studies at this point showing that up to five years of regular creatine supplementation has no harmful effects on the kidneys, for instance. And you could even say that about protein.
I think one of the perpetually enduring myths about protein is that if you eat more than the RDA, it's bad for your kidneys. Well, guess what? There's no evidence for that. And I think when you're talking about specific items, there is evidence for those specific items. If you're talking about a broad category of supplements, it's really hard to answer that because you have to be really careful as to which supplement you're talking about.
MESERVE: These things are not regulated, as I understand it, by the federal government. How do you know what to take? How do you if it's safe? How do you read the labels?
ANTONIO: Well, actually, I'd have to disagree in terms of they're not regulated.
MESERVE: Correct.
ANTONIO: I think the regulations are there. They're not, the regulations may not be enforced. And I think what needs to happen as far as the consumer, they need to be able to read a label, understand what's on the label and if they read our book it'll give them an idea as to what they should be taking so that they can make, you know, a wise and informed decision as to which supplement they should choose depending on their goals.
So, you know, the labels are there to inform the consumer and I think a lot of consumers just kind of skip the label and just take the supplement willy-nilly and that's what we're, we'd like people to avoid. We want them to follow the directions.
STOUT: Right.
MESERVE: OK, Jeffrey Stout and Jose Antonio, we have to leave it there. The name of the book once again is "Sports Supplement Encyclopedia." Thank you both.
ANTONIO: Thank you.
STOUT: Thank you.
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