The importance of augmenting food intake with dietary supplements is to supply the body with adequate and/or optimum doses of select compounds that have the potential to enhance performance, body fat reduction, skeletal muscle growth, and/or health. Due to personal preferences for certain food groups, caloric limitation for body fat reduction and other such factors, these doses and compounds may not be available from foods normally ingested, in the ratios and forms needed to elicit the desired response.

Enter...sensible supplementation; a term that operates under that very directive. "Supplementing" a well-designed diet, NOT "replacing" one is oftentimes a concept that confuses the most educated of consumers. What we are trying to do is strive to create an ideal physiological environment so that stimulus from exercise has the opportunity to yield maximum gains. There is NO magic pill or diet that will make a world class athlete out of anyone, without proper training and attitude. However, when food intake, talent, and motivation are the best the athlete can do, specific compounds, in proper dosage and form, ingested at proper times, offer a viable means of enhancing results. Therefore, maximum potential effects may be realized by combining proper diet, exercise, and supplementation.

The degree of improvement, or lack thereof, one may experience when using supplements, depends on his/her physiological state and the preparation, including the use of an effective delivery system of the ingested compound, alongside appropriate storage (a topic all-too-often not discussed).

We'll tackle many of these such agents in this subforum and their storage, absorption, retrieval, and delivery. It may get technical at times, but we'll do our best not to lose anyone and always feel free to ask if you don't understand (even if already explained). I am a fan of the only stupid questions being the ones left unasked.

Let's learn together now shall we and make our supplement plans as effective and safe as they could be.


D_