Dispatches from the nutritional and exercise science front by Jerry Brainum

 

Editorial note: Although this issue of Applied Metabolics initially appears to contain only one article, it actually contains 18 separate articles under one heading. Since all of the studies that these articles represent were presented at the same science conference, I chose to include them all under one heading. This issue is just as large or larger than previous issues.

 

 

In the February 2015 issue of Applied Metabolics, I wrote about a few new studies that were presented in short form at the annual conference of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN). As I noted in that previous article, the main advantage to attending such a conference is to view the presentation of new studies that may have relevance to those engaged in exercise or want to know about nutrition and supplements, or who are interested in body composition changes, such as loss of excess body fat. Most of the useful information is presented in the form of poster presentations, which feature short abstracts. The actual seminars provided at the conference appear to be just a rehash of previously published scientific studies. Thus, if you want to meet one of the authors or scientists involved in such studies, or want to pose a question to him or her, attending such science conferences could be advantageous. But for a guy like me, who reads hundreds of newly published science articles every month for this publication, the information presented at the seminars is like watching a rerun of an old television show: You already know the ending. But luckily for me and for readers of Applied Metabolics, the poster studies are usually placed online a few months after the conference.

Last February, I was only able to write about four of the studies presented at the ISSN conference, which was held in Orlando, Florida. The reason for my relatively paltry output was that the majority of studies presented at that conference were nothing more than thinly disguised advertisements for various sports supplements. Not only were the majority of the studies poorly designed; that is, they lacked a placebo-controlled, randomized design, but all were sponsored by the supplement companies who sold the product highlighted in the studies. While someone needs to pay for such studies, it's nonetheless also true that such studies can easily be manipulated to show benefits where none actually exists. This, of course, is an advantage to the company selling the product, less so for the unwary purchaser of such products, who is often duped into believing that he or she is purchasing a "scientifically proven" supplement.

This year, the ISSN annual conference was held in Austin, Texas between June 11 and 13. Having attended two previous conferences, I can tell you that one of the maddening aspects of attending is having to choose between up to four different presentations, all . . .