Healthy lifestyles among military active duty service members, and associations with body-building and weight-loss supplement use

Label Accuracy of Weight Loss Dietary Supplements Marketed Online With Military Discounts

Importance

Dietary supplements for weight loss, among the most popular supplement products on the market, are promoted not only for losing weight and shedding fat, but also for added benefits of energy and performance, all packed into 1 capsule with multiple combinations of ingredients. Fraudulent marketing of weight loss supplements, some with exaggerated claims, some that are potentially dangerous, and some that contain illegal ingredients, is ever present, especially through online sources, where multiple manufacturers target service members by offering military discounts.

Objectives

To examine whether select dietary supplements marketed online for weight loss from companies advertising military discounts are accurately labeled according to the Supplement Facts listed ingredients, whether they contain any ingredients prohibited for use in the military, and to qualitatively describe the products' label claims.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In this case series, 30 dietary supplement products marketed for weight loss were selected and purchased in June 2023 from 12 online companies advertising military discounts. Data were analyzed from July to August 2023.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to verify whether products were accurately labeled according to the Supplement Facts listed ingredients and whether they contained any substances on the DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List. A separate analysis was conducted to describe product label claims by using the Operation Supplement Safety (OPSS) Risk Assessment Scorecard.

Results

Of the 30 products tested, analysis showed that 25 had inaccurate labels. Of these, 24 had ingredients listed on the label that were not detected (misbranded); 7 had hidden components not present on the label, some of which would be considered adulterated; and 10 had substances on the DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List either on or hidden from the label. All products were rated as risky when applying the OPSS Scorecard.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this case series study, the majority of products had inaccurate labels. Some were misbranded, others would be considered adulterated with ingredients not allowed in dietary supplements, and some contained ingredients prohibited for use in the military.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by service members under martial law

OBJECTIVE

Aim: To study the peculiarities of maintaining a healthy lifestyle by service members under martial law.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and Methods: The research was conducted in 2022-2024 and involved 60 service members aged 22 to 54. According to their military rank, the respondents were divided into the following groups: junior enlisted (51.7 %), non-commissioned officers (25 %) and commissioned officers (23.3 %). Methods: bibliographic, system analysis and generalization, medical and sociological (questionnaire survey), and statistical.

RESULTS

Results: It was found that a healthy lifestyle for most service members is associated with motor activities (51.7 %), rational nutrition (55.9 %), the ability to cope with stress (42.4 %), and giving up bad habits (37.3 %). Only 46.7 % of service members adhere to the relevant principles, even though 55.0 % of respondents named a HLS as one of the values in their unit. It was found that it is difficult to fully adhere to the principles of a healthy lifestyle under the conditions of war. 76.7 % of service members have bad habits (the most common is smoking - 72.2 %).

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: Promising means of forming a healthy lifestyle for service members are: positive motivation and personal conviction in the need to maintain a healthy lifestyle, high-quality medical care, conducting educational work with personnel about the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle, etc. However, these measures will become fully effective only if we end the war with victory and liberate all Ukrainian lands from the occupying forces.

The theory of planned behavior and dietary behaviors in competitive women bodybuilders

BACKGROUND

Women bodybuilders build their ideal physique by manipulating their diet, supplement, and exercise regimens to extreme levels. Excess protein intake and dietary supplement use is ubiquitous in women bodybuilders preparing for a competition, i.e., in-season competitors, however the impetus for these two dietary behaviors are relatively unknown. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has been used to explain dietary behaviors. The purpose of the study was to examine how the TPB can explain protein intake and dietary supplement use in in-season competitors.

METHODS

Using a cross-sectional design, an online questionnaire was developed, validated, and administered to collect dietary supplement use, TPB variables, and other measures from 112 in-season competitors. Protein intake was assessed using multiple 24-h dietary recalls. Associations between TPB and protein intake and dietary supplement use were determined with multiple regression analysis while adjusting for confounders.

RESULTS

For protein intake: attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control explained 8% of the variance in intention; subjective norm independently predicted intention. Behavioral beliefs predicted attitude; subjective norm was predicted by trainer/coach, workout partners, and social media influencers. For dietary supplement use: intention explained 5% of the variance in dietary supplement use; attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control together explained 38% of the variance in intention. Attitudes towards dietary supplements use were predicted by five factors (not a waste of money, help improve physique, sustain energy levels, provide enough calories, help with recovery). Primary determinants of subjective norm were fellow competitors, social media influencers, and trainer/coach. Perceived behavioral control was predicted by three factors (ease of purchase, affordability to purchase, availability to purchase).

CONCLUSIONS

TPB predicted dietary supplement use in women bodybuilders during in-season but there was little evidence for the prediction of protein intake using the TPB. Health professionals should develop effective interventions using strategies that align health education messages with in-season competitors' outcome beliefs and collaborate with their referent others to influence safer and effective dietary supplement use.

Nutraceuticals and Phytotherapy in Men's Health: Antioxidants, Pro-oxidants, and a Novel Opportunity for Lifestyle Changes

Patients using nutraceuticals represent a diverse patient population with a keen potential interest and/or adherence to healthy lifestyle changes. BPH nutraceuticals, including saw palmetto were as safe, but not more effective than placebo in the STEP and CAMUS clinical trials, but another high-quality saw palmetto product could be tested in a phase 3 trial. Several other BPH supplements need more recent robust clinical data, environmental oversight, or safety data. ED supplements, including Panax ginseng, and the notable nitric oxide (NO) enhancing amino acids arginine and citrulline have positive preliminary short-term efficacy data with and without PDE-5 inhibitors, but herbal quality control (QC) or safety signals with some of these agents in specific patient populations need to be resolved. "Less is more" should be the current mantra in the prostate cancer milieu, and potentially in some men with male infertility based on the FAZST trial because it is plausible some antioxidants are exhibiting prooxidant activity in some settings. Some prescription anthelmintic medications are being studied, others are being purchased over-the-counter (OTC), but their preliminary safety and efficacy against cancer have been concerning and questionable. In fairness, ongoing additional objective clinical trial data should become available soon, especially with mebendazole. DHEA or DHEA enhancing products have multiple concerns including HDL reductions, and their questionable use in men with BPH or prostate cancer based on the limited data. Some of these concerns should also be addressed in long-term robust clinical trials of prescription testosterone agents. Regardless, more attention should be directed toward heart-healthy lifestyle changes for most urologic men's health conditions, whether they are used in a preventive or synergistic setting with other acceptable clinical treatment options.