Devlin Brown at the water cooler: Supplements are not magic; they can only supplement your diet

You joked recently about the thousands of rand people spend on supplements. I wouldn’t mind seeing some results, so how much should I be spending and on what?

I may have joked, but it is no laughing matter. This is a huge industry and it is going nowhere. Nor should it.

I have acquaintances who are in the supplement industry. One has even designed an entire product line. I am certainly not anti-supplements, as you’ll find them in my house. Creatine, whey protein and my favourite, zingy-flavoured rehydration sachets.

I visited a popular retail chain the other day, and — like I often do — browsed the supplement and “gym” section. It was packed. Sales consultants, most likely employed by the supplement suppliers themselves and not the retail chain, were assisting people.

The first customer was a man who appeared to be in his late 40s or early 50s. He wanted to get into shape and gain some muscle. “No problem, sir,” said the young man barely a day over 20. “What you need is ...” He proceeded to hand the older man a whole host of supplements. He needed to get a basket to accommodate the load.

There is nothing wrong with what happened there. The young salesman evidently got closer to hitting his targets, and the older guy walked out with high-end supplements from a highly reputable company, which no doubt include all the ingredients they claim. But where the scenario is weird, and where this myth in the exercise world gains momentum, is that this older man — and the younger one — thinks that those supplements are what will build the muscle and burn the fat. That’s simply not true.

Does the 20-year-old even comprehend the difference in physiology between himself and the man who could be his father? He didn’t ask about his diet, how often he trains or even how he trains. Yet, grinning from ear to ear and glowing with pride, the older man — with his tightfitting Bok jersey — walked out believing that he’d purchased the ticket to his dream mid-life-crisis body.

Another customer was a mother looking for supplements to help her 19-year-old  son “bulk up”. Well, we won’t even unpack what she was sold.

Becoming fit, changing your body composition, losing fat, gaining muscle ... none of it can be bought in a store the way you buy a washing machine or a toaster. A supplement supplements. And what does it supplement? Food. If you get everything you need from your diet, there are few supplements that add more kick to your efforts. Sure, there are stimulants — but that’s certainly not something I would consider.

Of course, there are supplements that are proven, such as creatine and whey protein. In my house, whey protein serves as an emergency stop gap for days I am in a rush and I know I need to get my protein grams in. Creatine — well, sometimes I take it and sometimes I don’t. If I remember it’s there, I add it to a protein shake. The rehydration sachets make me feel better, and I feel I perform better when I am well hydrated. It could all be in my head, but it’s my life and my choice.

A quick Google search or countless YouTube and Instagram videos will tell you there’s no proven benefit to be enjoyed from glutamine, L-carnitine, BCAAs, testosterone boosters and more. Of course, I’ve used them all.

No doubt, the reputable supplement companies have well-resourced research & development teams. They’d never risk their reputations by knowingly contaminating their products with banned substances. They want to put out the absolute best because they are in competition. But a close reading of the claims made on the packaging will reveal that no-one is intimating that these are magic potions. They “supplement” your diet and can never replace or override a poor training regimen.

All of which brings us back to the point: No, you do not have to spend thousands on supplements every month. What you choose, or don’t choose, to buy is entirely your own business. Celebrities and sports stars will continue to be sponsored and will happily endorse products. Average people — young and old — will continue to buy the products hoping they, too, can look and perform like their idols.