The Dark Side Of Supplements - Exercise & Fitness Message Board

Kastro2 · 03-29-2004, 10:59 AM

Hi there.

I have some questions, but also want to report something I found while taking Weider 90% Protein Soy Supplements.

I've been taking them for 2 months, and have noticed great bulking from the product, but I encountered a big mental problem this has caused. About a month in from taking it i started feeling weird mentally, having no idea it was the supplements I continued using until a half month after when it got real bad, and I was about to see a doctor until my girlfriend told me it could be the supplements I have been taking (she wasn't too fond of them to begin with).

I didn't think it was but I looked up some of the ingrediants on the label of the bottle anyway and found much to my surprise about them. Some of the ingrediants such as Phenylalanine, Histidine, and Tryptophan are very serious amino acids that are not to be messed with, I found out they have lots to do with your brains neurotransmitters and what not, and found that having too much of this stuff in you can cause brain damage and serious mental illness.

Still skeptical, I decided to stop taking them and see if I got better, that was the only way to make sure it was the supplements. So I did, its been 2 weeks and I am feeling way better, so for all you who take supplements be careful you dont over do it like I did. I still feel a bit weird but its still fading, now I just eat a lot and thats it.

But ---

I have a question: Now that I stopped taking them I am still getting the same amount of protein because I am eating more now, but still from not taking them no more will I lose the nice stuff I put on or is it there to stay and I can still build on top of it?

Please write me back, glad to help you guys and thank you guys for helping me.

Chasedog · 03-29-2004, 12:04 PM

As long as you're still getting enough protein and lifting, you'll keep the muscle and continue to build.

How many shakes were you taking a day?

Evl316 · 03-29-2004, 01:10 PM

This is why everyone should always read the label, and I don't mean the one on the front that is all advertising, I mean the one on the side that lists what's in it. I won't even think about taking any supplement unless I know what's in it and I know the company and can be somewhat reasonably sure that it contains what it says and nothing it says it doesn't. Remember the FDA doesn't look into these supplements to ensure they contain what they say they do or give the benefits they claim or look into any possible side effects. Besides that there are a million resources out there on the different amino acids and such so being ignorant of what you're taking simply doesn't have to be the case.

I agree with Chasedog, so long as you are getting enough food and protein in that food and your exercise routine looks good you won't lose any gains made with the protein supplements. Remember supplement means to supplement your food intake, not replace it.

never2L8 · 03-29-2004, 08:29 PM

I am also curious to know how many shakes per day and what amount of these amino acids was in each shake?

Seperately, I am curious to know if there is an upper limit of how much protein is too much. Various sites have different figures and I was wondering if anyone here has had any problems related to having too much?

Kastro2 · 03-30-2004, 11:02 AM

Interesting.

Sorry I should have explained my report with more detail and attention to the specifics, as I will now.

I started off taking them at the recommended dose which is 300ml (28 g) of it per day, or an ounce if you want. On the back there is also a more serious dose of 100g per day that was recommended for more serious lifters.

I was taking a the recommended dose per day for a month, then started increasing to 40g per day sometimes when I would skip a meal. But I always evened it our around 28-30g with future doses to keep it on the recommended intake.

The feeling I got was like a depressed feeling, like something didn't feel right in my head, I was very irritable and stressed about it, the same type of things listed in the book I read (Prescriptions For Nutritional Healing [Great Book]) which is what led to this conclusion that the supplements are responsible. And as earlier said, 1 day after taking them showed improvement in my mental condition.

Gota go quick sorry