Sports Supplement Dangers

" Hello welcome to -- on Dr. -- Each year more than 33 million Americans consume supplements that claim to help them burn fat. Bill muscle and boost energy but what is the science behind these claims and -- be really safe. He had to -- his Special Report. What you don't know might kill you. Is Sports Illustrated writer David Epstein you talk about all of these supplements and the dangers I want legal right to the question. What do people take -- days but we looked at sports supplements that fall broadly into two categories mostly muscle builders. And fat burners so -- people taking proteins and create teams that probably aren't dangerous but also are often in here. And then there's a huge market for. Fat burners weight loss even among a -- athletes getting in shape and -- usually. Stimulant products meant to speed up your metabolism -- you burn more energy and and lose weight. Now what other current regulations on these products. It's it's a really tangled web so there is no premarket approval really and unless it's a totally new ingredient but for the most part there's no premarket approval actually view and I do is got a little cash together you and I can do is decide among ourselves. To put a couple ingredients that we might find are relevant and in in making you know people -- their metabolism and we could take it to market. So we could in fact when we were when we started learning about this industry we thought about. Just for the article making our own supplement and marketing it and bringing it out with the story because it's that easy and there are certain regulations but that industry so broad. And the regulatory bodies are. Are stretched so thin that we could even -- market illegal as you saw on the article legal things easily in -- can anybody operate these. -- to bring a product to market. What is that the this time that you and I can have an idea. And we can put it on the shelf it's the time. It's as fast as you can think of it and get it maiden. The small retailers we talked you said that it literally took them more time to designer label than anything else -- and that is what the bottle looks like is more important -- what's in it. I mean and we went and visited we -- the story with Rene Gonzales who put in a call and was selling -- and in months and and I don't have to prove anything. And -- so far as my claim. If you introduce it totally novel ingredient you're supposed to show that it's safe not that it's effective but that it's safe but -- we found it doesn't happen a lot of times. And new formulations. You can just put it out there in effect useless but seemingly safe ingredients are actually protected. Now an in your story you talk about the manufacturers'. Marketing side effects on -- about that so one of the in advertising -- you'll see stimulant shrinks weight loss products touting Thermo Genesis which basically means body so. It's like shoveling coal and in and train furnace you -- you. -- burning more energy -- keeps you up and you start to shake in you lose some weight as your metabolism is moving faster and you're shaking but those are. Those are caffeine jitters I mean that's a side effect. It can be no break muscle cells -- protein going to kidneys it raises your body temperature which can be bad if you're exercising -- It's it's a side effect and they're saying. Look you're shaking in Xena rose it's a spin on -- side of flags as saying you know therefore -- going to lose weight rights when you start shivering is that while it's really working. Hang on the government can do anything about that. I mean at at the moment there -- certain things they can do but even the little they can do. They're stretched so thin enforcement is so light and it's spread across different agencies Federal Trade Commission the FDA the DEA. It's really kind of a tangled -- and -- he's looking into now or one of the things that you reference in your article is about this a study from 2007. And I think that every parent out there. That has a child. Who is contemplating. U being asking the question they should be taken some supplements to make my performance better. Listen to this -- what did you find this 2000 so study. That'd large number of products not the majority but I think it was about a quarter of the product was 45% forty types and the products tested positive for banned stimulants or or steroids or stores Sarah precursor. So it was so any specific type of steroids that they found well some of them -- designer steroids of some of them are not. Yet on the DA's ban list because they've been invented just to circumvent the laws we would see these designer modifications -- isn't faster on which is particularly dangerous. Usually marketed as a super -- cloned because that was the original product. You still see a lot of ephedra being slipped in there. And some traditional steroids. -- when we talked to DA they said -- find sometimes and the US Anti Doping Agency the company's. Will spike in initial run of the product with steroids and it works and then they'll stop to kind of -- that he. Unbelievable this is to -- unbelievable so let's give a final word find him leaving the final word. How can people protect themselves I mean it's difficult and and I should say we're talking about a particular part of the industry you know we're not -- not multivitamins and their companies doing -- right. Yeah it's hard to tell you should be wary of claims about -- testosterone. You know regulating your insulin. Regulating your growth hormone there are -- couple groups that one called NSF international one called informed choice they do if products go to -- companies go to them voluntarily it'll test the product. And say look this is pure or not and put it on the website and with a number of companies have gone there's tiny I mean there's like one or two proteins that you can find it right -- they -- Buyer beware yet. But whatever you take -- Google it at least Google it and see if it's if the FDA sent letters of the company at the very least you can do while I think thank you so much for coming to the program. And if you have any health problems -- talk to me about email me here at fox and document it foxnews.com. Next time conduct."