Recommend Supplements - Personal Trainer Community - Forum

[ryanjbow]

Do any of you recommend supplements to your clients? It seems like it would make sense since many clients look to trainers for nutritional advice. Trainers can recommend good products and make extra income in the process.

Has anyone had any success with this?

[Joe Cannon MS CSCS]

I do sports nutrition certification classes and have written a book on supplements. On my blog I review popular supplements too. I know people often ask trainers advise about supplements but most trainers and fitness certifications do not adequately educate trainers about supplements - which ones work. which ones dont work. the drug interactions and side effects. Here are a couple of questions to hightlight this:

1. many trainers know that creatine can help improve strength right? this is technically not true. creating improves muscle power. strength and power are not the same. People lifting for more than 10 reps dont need creatine supplements.

2. many people with arthritis opt to take glucosamine supplements. But most dont know what type of arthritis glucosamine might help. most also dont know that some animal studies hint that glucosamine might alter blood sugar levels - bad for bad for diabetics. In addition most trainers also dont know that chrondroitin sulfate (which is in most glucosamine supplements) has a "blood thinning" effect - this can be deadly for persons taking blood thinner medications. Most trainers also dont know that there is more than 1 type of glucosamine. which type might work the best? I know which type does but how many reading this know?

3. Most trainers - and people in general - dont know that beta carotene supplements have been shown to raise the risk for lung cancer in smokers.

4. About 10 years ago a trainer working at a gym in NYC recommended a fat burner to one of his clients. She died. she had high blood pressure and the supplement contained ephedra which raised her BP.

Trainers never hear this stuff mentioned in bodybuilding /health magazines / websites or at health food stores because most people dont know it. Its all based on peer-reviewed studies and facts.

I agree most supplements are probably harmless in most people but without knowing a persons health history and having knowledge about how the supplement works, its not possible to consistently recommend supplements without eventually getting burned.

So, before trainers recommend supplements I strongly suggest they educate themselves.
Joe

[ryanjbow]

good points, Joe.

I had a feeling there is a liability issue there. Although, I'm not entirely sure what the liability is when recommending a dietary supplement.

I assumed most trainers would have general nutritional training but it definitely makes sense that they should become educated on the products and supplements they recommend and know that they are safe for their clients.

[Christina]

Ryan, please see the rules for the forum regarding spam.

http://www.fitnessthinktank.com/foru...t-service.html

Thread closed.