ROBYN JACKSON

Derick Rankin spends a lot of time outdoors. As the owner of a lawn care business in Hattiesburg, he can spend hours a day sweating in the heat and sun and knows that he needs to replenish his body, but you won’t find him swilling a fruit smoothie.

“I never thought I needed anything like that, just water and Gatorade,” Rankin said.

Brandon Marshall, on the other hand, enjoys a smoothie after working out at the gym. His favorite is “The Hulk,” a chocolate, vanilla or strawberry shake designed to promote weight gain that he orders at Smoothie King, a New Orleans-based chain that started in 1989.

“I like a lot of the energy drinks like Gatorade and PowerAde, especially if I’m doing an arduous task,” said Rankin, an aspiring filmmaker who currently resides in Hattiesburg. “There’s nothing like an ice-cold Gatorade after cutting the grass.”

“Drinking more water is a must, but if you are sweating a lot you may be losing some electrolytes,” said Hannah Thompson, a registered dietitian at Wesley Medical Center in Hattiesburg. “Drinks like Gatorade and PowerAde can help replenish these. Eating fruits can also help replenish your potassium stores.”

The nutritional supplement market has exploded since Gatorade was introduced in 1965. Now, in addition to a plethora of non-carbonated sports beverages and vitamins, there are products like energy bars, flavored waters and even vitamin water.

“A lot of gyms now provide those types of things in vending machines,” Marshall said.


What Is a Supplement?
According to the Food and Drug Administration, Congress defined the term “dietary supplement” in 1994 as a product taken by mouth that contains a “dietary ingredient” intended to supplement the diet. The ingredients may include vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars and metabolites. They can also be extracts or concentrates, and can be in the form of tablets, capsules, softgels, gelcaps, liquids or powders.

They can also be packaged as bars, but their labels must not represent the product as a conventional food or the sole item of a meal or diet plan. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act places dietary supplements in a special category under the general umbrella of “foods,” not drugs. Products are required to be labeled as a dietary supplement.

Gatorade has gotten many an athlete through a tough workout over the past 43 years. It was developed by researchers at the University of Florida after an assistant football coach asked them to figure out why so many of his players were being affected adversely by the heat and heat-related illnesses. The researchers determined that the players were losing electrolytes and fluids through sweat, so they formulated a precisely balanced carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage that would replace those components. The Florida Gators began performing so well — even winning the Orange Bowl for the first time in the school’s history — that other college teams soon began ordering batches of Gatorade for their sidelines. The Kansas City Chiefs began using it in 1969, and in 1983, it became the official sports drink of the National Football League.

The Stokley Van Camp Co. introduced Gatorade to the mass market in the early 1970s, and it remains the top brand in the sports beverage market, available at any grocery or convenience store alongside a rainbow of challengers.

Another popular way to take nutritional supplements is through smoothies, whether they’re made at home or purchased at retail outlets.

Smoothie King owner Stephen Kuhnau and his wife, Cindy, believed that the milkshake-like drinks he blended from fresh fruit, fruit juices and powdered nutritional supplements would appeal to athletes or anyone trying to live a healthier lifestyle, according to the company’s Web site. Kuhnau opened his first health food store in Kenner, La., in 1973 and sold smoothies on the side for 99 cents each. Kuhnau, who suffered from hypoglycemia and allergies, had developed the recipe as a teenager while working at a drive-in restaurant, using fresh pineapples, bananas and strawberries to create a creamy, shake-like drink that he packed with powdered supplements. Later, when he joined the Army Reserves and was stationed at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, working as a nurse at Brooks Burn Center, he was able to study nutrition and the benefits of different additives.

Smoothie King now has more than 500 “lifestyle centers” in 32 states. In addition to dozens of varieties of smoothies designed to aid weight loss or gain, relieve stress and increase energy, the retail stores also sell sports beverages, energy bars, vitamin supplements, herbs, minerals and healthy snacks.
Thompson said consumers should, “be careful at ‘nutrition’ stores like Smoothie King and GNC. If the person promoting a product is not a nutrition professional, they may be marketing products only to increase their sales. Men can get an ultra lean ‘ripped’ body by eating a healthy diet and consuming the proper ratio of carbohydrates, protein and fat. There are many professional ‘natural’ bodybuilders that refuse to take supplements and still reach their goal.

Supplements are not always necessary and can sometimes make it harder for you to reach your goal or keep your goal weight or gained muscle mass in the long run.”

Are They Safe?
Dietary supplements receive little regulation from the U.S. government, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, a company is responsible for determining that the dietary supplement it manufactures or distributes is safe and that any claims it makes about it are not false or misleading. Dietary supplements do not need approval from the FDA before they are marketed.

If popping vitamins or blending smoothies isn’t your thing, try natural sources. Vitamin A, which is essential for a strong immune system, is in carrots, sweet potatoes and mangoes. Boron, which a U.S. Department of Agriculture study says boosts memory, comes in nuts, legumes and most dried fruits. Citrus fruits and tomatoes are packed with Vitamin C, which can help cut the duration of colds, cures scurvy and may even help relieve stress. Calcium, which builds bones and may help protect against colon cancer, is found naturally in dairy products.
Vitamin E, an antioxidant that may reduce a man’s risk of prostate cancer by up to 53 percent and bladder cancer by almost half, is found in vegetable oils and leafy green vegetables. Omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, depression and colon cancer, are found in cold-water fish such as salmon and tuna.

“A commonly promoted nutrient for men is lycopene, which is an antioxidant found in tomatoes and processed tomato products,” Thompson said. “Studies suggest that lycopene is associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer in men. Some multivitamins made especially for men contain this nutrient, but it is more readily absorbed through food sources.”

Thompson said eating a balanced diet should enable a man to get all the nutrients he needs.

“You do not need supplements if you are eating right,” she said. “A healthy, well-rounded diet includes unprocessed whole natural foods with high nutrient density and lots of variety. This includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole unrefined grains, eggs, nuts, seeds, beans, fish, lean meats, etc. Taking a multivitamin may be necessary if you do not eat this way. Sadly, most Americans don’t. You must be careful when choosing a multivitamin. There are some that are very good. Look for those that are formulated with the extracts of natural whole foods instead of synthetic sources. These supplements can contain vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes, minerals, amino acids, phytonutrients and essential fatty acids, which are essential for your body. Our bodies cannot properly absorb nutrients from artificial sources; therefore you may be wasting your money.”



June 2008