Interesting UK documentary: Panorama - The Truth About Sports Products

[Rostov]

Apologies if anyone's already posted this (couldn't see it)....

I've just got round to watching a documentary aired in the UK just before the Olympics about the various claims made by sports products - sports drinks, trainers/running shoes/sneakers, food supplements etc. I doubt (m)any of the conclusions (that the evidence base behind the marketing speak is meagre, flawed, irrelevant, or non-existent) will come as news to the kind of people who identify as nerd fitness types, but I thought I'd share it anyway. Also some interesting stuff about barefoot running and shoes that simulate barefoot running. It's about an hour long, looking at sports drinks first, then shoes, then food supplements.

iPlayer link: (unlikely to work outside the UK)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01l1yxk

Youtube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Rul7XbM844

TL: DW - brief written summaries:

BBC news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18863293

British Medical Journal: http://www.bmj.com/press-releases/2012/07/18/%E2%80%9Cstriking-lack-evidence%E2%80%9D-back-claims-popular-sports-brands

[andygates]

Executive summary: Marketing is lies. Anyone surprised by this, I have some overnight beauty cream to sell you.

[Timmy M]

typical! not a single barbell lift apart from the bench press and people that follow all the recommendations on the labels are fools, stuff like protein shakes etc are supplements, they're for SUPPLEMENTING, i only have whey and a lil bit of casein powder (3 parts whey, 1 part casein) after training most days and will occasionally will take a shake with me if i'm travelling (50/50) but only have it if there is literally nothing healthy to eat (i usually bring food with em anyway and haven't even had my shake the last 2 times i've travelled)

[Waldo]

Didn't watch it but that point about protein powder being expensive milk is kind of off the mark.

The milk I get, the cheap stuff at the grocery store, is 2.3 cents per gram of protein.

The protein powder I get, the cheap stuff at the wholesale club, is 2.1 cents per gram of protein.

Its close price-wise, however the protein powder is much more energy condensed (69% of calories from protein), which makes it very useful above and beyond milk alone.

[andygates]

It also doesn't turn into Cthulhu when you leave it in your car for three days in summer.