- Pre-workout supplements can cause numerous adverse side effects, including gastrointestinal symptoms, cardiac arrhythmia, blood pressure increases, and others.
- Since pre-workout supplements are not regulated by the FDA, their manufacturers are free to include unapproved and potentially dangerous ingredients, which has occurred.
- Many pre-workout ingredients have not been fully investigated, and require further research to determine if they are completely safe and effective.
OVERVIEW
Pre-workout supplements can have a host of adverse side effects, including gastrointestinal symptoms, cardiac arrhythmia, blood pressure increases, and others. These supplements are not regulated by the FDA, and may contain ineffective or dangerous ingredients, as has been documented. We could not determine the number or percentage of US gymgoers that use pre-workout supplements, nor definitive data to suggest that gymgoers have concerns about such supplements; however, we included the approximate number of Americans drinking protein shakes as a rough proxy for the number consuming pre-workout supplements. Below is our search methodology, potential reasons why this data is not available, and all relevant findings regarding the health risks of pre-workout supplements.
METHODOLOGY
To locate information on pre-workout supplements' health risks, the amount of gymgoers using them, and the concerns of gymgoers regarding them, we searched for academic papers, survey data, and relevant news articles. Some sources that we searched in this regard include Research Gate, National Institutes of Health, Mens Health, Web MD, Worldometers, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Forbes, Business Insider, and others. While we found information concerning pre-workout supplements' health risks, we could not locate data on the amount of gymgoers that use them, although we located the percentage of Americans who consume protein drinks and have included this as a proxy. We could not find data suggesting that gymgoers do or do not have concerns about the products.
There are several potential reasons why this information is not publicly available. For the amount of gymgoers using pre-workout supplements, it is possible that this data has not yet been gathered, or that companies in possession of it choose to keep it private, to maintain a competitive advantage or for some other reason. For the concerns of gymgoers regarding these products, it is likely that no poll or survey has been conducted yet to determine the level of concern amount gymgoers or pre-workout supplement users. It is also possible that researchers have not yet investigated this topic on a smaller scale, such as an individual case study. As such, we could not provide definitive insights regarding gymgoers' concerns about pre-workout supplements.
PRE-WORKOUT SUPPLEMENTS: HEALTH RISKS
- Pre-workout supplement consumption can result in a host of adverse side effects, including "gastrointestinal symptoms, cardiac arrhythmia, blood pressure increases, and potential effects on lipids and blood glucose." The risks associated with these products increases if taken in larger-than-recommended doses.
- Instead of receiving a drug classification, pre-workout supplements are classified as dietary supplements by the FDA, which means that the FDA does not regulate the products or their ingredients. As a result, manufacturers can claim that their products are safe and effective even if they aren't.
- Research on caffeine and taurine, two prominent ingredients in pre-workout supplements, has shown a "meaningful ergogenic effect," providing the user with additional energy for workouts. However, research on other ingredients has been "scant, inconclusive, or conflicting," suggesting that other ingredients could be ineffective or dangerous in unforeseen ways. A 2017 National Institutes of Health report suggested that "additional research should assess the safety and efficacy of nutrients found in pre-workout supplements" to determine if these ingredients are safe and effective.
- Given that pre-workout supplements are not regulated by the FDA, their manufacturers sometimes include potentially dangerous ingredients. For example, in 2017 NSF International "discovered four unapproved stimulants similar to 1,3 DMAA-a banned substance-in six common over-the-counter pre-workout and dieting supplements." As such, it is possible that any given pre-workout could contain unsafe ingredients.
NUMBER OF AMERICANS USING PROTEIN SHAKES
While we could not locate the number or percentage of gymgoers consuming pre-workout supplements, we did locate the percentage of Americans using protein shakes. We have included this information as a rough proxy for the number using pre-workouts.
Number of Americans consuming protein shakes: 326,828,972*0.46=150,341,327
As such, roughly 150.34 million Americans consume protein shakes.
CONCLUSION
Pre-workout supplements can have a host of negative side effects, including gastrointestinal symptoms, cardiac arrhythmia, blood pressure increases, and others. In addition, these products are not regulated by the FDA and may include dangerous, unapproved ingredients, while many ingredients need further research to determine their safety and efficacy. We were unable to locate the number of gymgoers consuming pre-workout supplements, but we have included the approximate number of Americans that consume protein shakes, which, according to our calculations, is roughly 150.34 million. We could not find data indicating that gymgoers do or do not have concerns about pre-workout products.