I will admit I have been glued to the coverage on the Roger Clemens trial, and as much as the world of pro-athletes and some of their behaviors disgust me, my real concern lies with the average student athlete who spends his or her (harder to come by) money on supplements that do not live up to their purported results, and may even cause harm.

Although new performance enhancing or “ergogenic” supplements come out on the market daily, I had a request by a friend to speak on one in particular, a supplement which claims to increase nitric oxide in the body. 

Nitric Oxide : What is it? What is it supposed to do for the athlete?

Nitric oxide is a colorless, free radical gas commonly found within our tissues.  You might have heard of its use in medical treatments, such as nitroglycerin which helps those with heart problems increase necessary nitric oxide to the blood vessels that supply the heart.  The supplements that reportedly increase nitric oxide levels within the body are currently being marketed as powerful muscle builders that increase muscle size and strength. Other claims also include an increase in fast-twitch muscle fiber strength, endurance, and power output.

What does the research say?  

Although nitric oxide has many important functions in the body, its role as a muscle growth stimulant is not one of them.  After researching the current literature on all claims such as increasing protein synthesis, muscle cell contractile strength, “fast-twitch” muscle strength, endurance, and power output, I found zero scientific evidence or researched documentation (either on their web sites or by a literature search) of these findings, but only in the marketing claims. 

My advice to those seeking assistance from a supplement is to contact the supplement company and ask them to “show you the research”.  If they can get you a reference, that is great, but an actual research study showing you that this supplement (in this case nitric oxide supplementation) actually increased the nitric oxide above the control group, and that the data demonstrated an increase in lean muscle mass, significantly more than the group without elevated nitric oxide production.

Buyer Beware

Supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, and therefore, there is no guarantee that what is stated on the supplement label is actually what is in the supplement. In addition, if you are a college athlete, you have to be even more careful because of the potential to test positive for a NCAA banned substance. Many athletes have fallen prey to banned substance that were not listed on the supposedly legal supplement label.

Another helpful source are websites such as “Supplement Watch“  and “Consumer Lab” which provide independent test results and information to help people evaluate and select dietary supplements. Products that pass Consumer Lab’s testing are eligible to bear the CL Seal of Approval.

I have a growing appreciation for those individuals and athletes whose accomplishments are solely reached by their work on the field or in the gym and who have fueled this work by the perfect combination of macro and micronutrients: whole foods.