are supplements dangerous?

[PurpleHaze]

Hi I'm Chris. I'm 16. My friends and I have been weightlifting quite a bit lately and are joining the team at my school. My friends have started getting supplements from GNC but I'm not sure they are safe. They are taking glutamine and creatine. How do these supplements increase strength gains and what side effects might they have. Also, do they have any long term problems. I'm wondering if I should start taking these supplements also. Thanks for your help.
Chris

[infamous]

Originally Posted by PurpleHaze

Hi I'm Chris. I'm 16. My friends and I have been weightlifting quite a bit lately and are joining the team at my school. My friends have started getting supplements from GNC but I'm not sure they are safe. They are taking glutamine and creatine. How do these supplements increase strength gains and what side effects might they have. Also, do they have any long term problems. I'm wondering if I should start taking these supplements also. Thanks for your help.
Chris

Welcome to Hypography PurpleHaze; When I was a bit younger I used to workout with weights also. I enjoyed the activity and seeing my muscular developement progress, so I can appreciate your interest in this sport. I would offer a word of caution however about the use of supplements. If you have any doubts, and it certainly appears you have otherwise you wouldn't have asked, I would recommend that you google WebMD. I'm not sure if you'll find the information your looking for at this site because I haven't looked myself. But it is an excellent website for someone looking for answers to health questions. You may have to search it out a bit but I think you could find the answers to your questions there...................enjoy

[goosefrabbas]

I'm not an expert on this, but I used to read a lot about (and took) sports supplements. Stuff like creatine, protein, and glutamine are safe when used appropriately. But, he should take whey protein instead of glutamine, because most protein supplements already have a good amount of glutamine in them. Creatine will help by increasing ATP, the muscle's main energy source, and it attracts water into the muscle. As far as side effects go, a lot of people have problems with their stomaches when taking creatine, but that is probably because they don't drink enough water. About the long term side effects - creatine hasn't been used for long enough to have enough studies to be conclusive, but a recent study showed that creatine may lengthen the life of people who take it. Protein helps the muscle recover, and is almost a neccesity when lifting weights. There aren't really any side effects to this that I know of. Hope this helped

[pgrmdave]

I would suggest talking to your coach, your school's athletic director, and your school's nurse. They should be able to tell you whether the supplements are okay, and whether or not you could benefit much from them.

[Racoon]

Originally Posted by PurpleHaze

Hi I'm Chris. I'm 16. My friends and I have been weightlifting quite a bit lately and are joining the team at my school. My friends have started getting supplements from GNC but I'm not sure they are safe. They are taking glutamine and creatine. How do these supplements increase strength gains and what side effects might they have. Also, do they have any long term problems. I'm wondering if I should start taking these supplements also.

I don't know if you'll even be back to read this.
But the ones you mentioned are safe.
But at 16 - 17 years old you don't really need them.

The quality and potency will depend on the integrity of the company you purchase them from.
And whether they are worth the money is another question...

The best supplement stack I took, when money wasn't an object ('cuz all I was doing was working and working out)

Creatine
HMB
CLA
Agent Orange pre-workout drink mix
Cordyceps - Chinese herb
EAS Myoplex meal replacement.
pretty simple by most bodybuilding standards.

And NEVER take steroids. regardless of the peer pressure. Not necessary at that age, or ever really...

I think supplements do help. Taken right with balanced meals.
With College, and less work right now, I'm not taking any. Only a few herbs, and I am consistently inconsistent

for more Info and limitless supplements for emptying your wallet.

www.bodybuilding.com