With steroid controversies popping up in nearly every sport, it would be easy to associate "supplement" with "steroid." However, not everything used to help weightlifters and athletes with their workout routines is illegal.

   There are hundreds of different types of supplements people use in order to help bulk up in the weight room, said Jane Foos, clinical sports dietitian of Red Cedar Medical Center.

   "I work from a nutritional basis, assess the total nutritional intake and devise a plan to get extra calories and proteins (athletes) need," Foos said. "I recommend food first then supplements as needed."

   She said some of the more popular supplements used today include whey protein, creatine, amino acids and fat blockers. She added there is a strong difference between whey and creatine.

   "Whey protein has all of the amino acids required to build and repair muscle tissues but creatine is a totally different product," she said. "It is an ingredient that helps athletes to do multiple explosive efforts and has to be regenerated during the rest phase so they can lift the next set.

   "Creatine is not involved in muscle building or repair and many whey protein supplements contain creatine."

   Junior Billy Raleigh said he lifts three to four days a week, depending on his schedule, but only uses whey protein supplement and dextrose, a type of sugar.

   "After lifting, (whey protein and dextrose) help to repair muscles after you've stretched them out and pushed them past the point they're adapted to," he said. "It gives a faster recovery and helps retain strength better."

   He said he started using products his freshman year at UW-Eau Claire but has never taken anything that is considered controversial.

   "I got into using them around the beginning of college," Raleigh said. "I'm not into it as much as some people are … it's like a lifestyle for them."

   Although he said he hasn't had a lot of time this semester to get into a weight lifting routine, sophomore Ryan Fish said he has used a variety of supplements to help with his workout he used to do five days a week.

   "When I was over in Iraq, I used BSN products that push more blood to your muscles while you lift," Fish said. "BSN products have been solid to me … my roommates take them, too."

   Foos said many of the calories and proteins people look for in supplements come naturally in foods.

   "Whey comes from milk … most people don't know that," she said. "Creatine is a naturally occurring substance in the body that allows you to lift more sets for more energy … if you can do the final set with the same power and energy as the first set, you're going to have strength improvement over time."

   Last year, Raleigh said he tried using creatine, but gave it up because he said it gave him a "false impression of how good (he was) doing."

   "I put on a good 10 pounds, (but) then fell back and lost half of that keeping up my normal routine without creatine," he said. "It looks good at the start but I couldn't retain it without continued use."

   Despite its popularity, Foos said creatine only works for 50 percent of users.

   "People know if they respond to it or not … if someone is a non-responder, it means the body (muscles) have enough creatine in it already," she said. "Responders don't have enough creatine."

   She said the weight gain, like the one Raleigh experienced, comes from the body holding water in. The initial weight change is in water weight from a responder.

   Foos also said concerns about supplements include the possibility of taking too much of a substance resulting in a high weight gain.

   However, she said there hasn't been any research that has identified any negative effects from creatine, assuming the person using it is a healthy adult.

   "If you take more of a product than the body needs, you'll get fat," she said. "Too much protein and too much calories lead to more body fat."

   Foos said there are two things to look for in a product - purity and potency. Purity involves whether the product contains the ingredients listed on the label and if is actually free of anything not on the label, she said. Potency entails whether a product has the listed amount of a substance.

   Problems can also stem from companies not being regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, Foos added.

   "Because supplements are not governed by the FDA, there's no law that says they have to have pure potency and that's the problem," she said. "I don't recommend (supplements) by name because I don't know what's in that can either. That's the real danger."

   Overall, Raleigh said he's been satisfied with how the supplements have helped him progress when working out.

   "I like it. There's a fine line between utilizing a supplement and overdoing it," he said. "It gives a little push during workouts, but doesn't overdo anything."

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