Analyzing the food supplements, it can be stated that most if not all of them specifically indicate that they do not cure, treat, or prevent any disease (“Cytosport Cytogainer – Vanilla Shake”). Merely, they are a concentration of ingredients, which provide the organisms of different combinations of elements, usually difficult to get using an ordinary diet. Nevertheless, it can be stated that many of such supplements are used as magic pills, and in most cases, such expectations are based on the claims of manufacturers producing these supplements. Clarifying such a statement, this paper analyzes CytoGainer, a food supplement manufactured by the company CytoSport.
CytoGainer is a brand name for a food supplement manufactured by the company CytoSport. According to the manufacturer label, the main ingredient in CytoGainer is carbohydrates and protein (“Cytogainer”). The carbohydrates in the CytoGainer and comprised mostly of sugar and dietary fiber. An essential component in carbohydrates is maltodextrins, which is “a short chain of molecularly linked dextrose (glucose) molecules, and is manufactured by regulating the hydrolysis of starch” (“Alternative Carbohydrate Sweeteners”).
The typical plants from which maltodextrins are extracted are corn, potato, or rice (“Alternative Carbohydrate Sweeteners”). Additionally, according to the US national library of medicine CytoGainer contains a number of vitamins, such as vitamin A, C, D, and E, as well as a small quantity of a variety of other essential elements such as iron, calcium, potassium, iodine, and others (“Cytosport Cytogainer – Vanilla Shake”).
The main purpose of CytoGainer can be divided into two processes, before the workout, in which CytoGainer provides the energy to maximize the gains in muscles, and after the workout, where CytoGainer facilitates the process of recovery (“Cytosport Cytogainer – Vanilla Shake”). In that regard, if omitting the instructions provided by the manufacturers, the CytoGainer is usually bought to provide the concentrated amount of elements, which boosts the growth of the muscles.
After conducting a series of short interviews with CytoGainer’s long-time users, as well as new users, who were reporting their results after using this supplement for the first time, it can be stated that it has positive results similar to the ones indicated by the manufacturer.
Although the degree to which the supplement is beneficial varies, possibly due to subjective experience, the extensiveness of the workout, or the diet used, there is an obvious relation between using this product and the increase of the muscles’ mass. Additionally, it should be mentioned that the reported results are based only on interviews and the manufacturer’s description, due to the absence of scholarly research specifically observing the aforementioned relationship. Additionally, as indicated by Food and Drug Administration, this product was not evaluated, in terms of the effects claimed by the manufacturer (“Cytosport Cytogainer – Vanilla Shake”).
According, to the interviews, there were not many side effects reported after the usage of this supplement, where the only complaints were to the expected degree of muscle growth after the usage for a particular period. However, according to researchers studying the effect of using protein supplements on the development of kidney disease, the findings indicated that the users of the supplements are taking double the recommended allowance for protein intake, whereas the users predisposed to kidney diseases were no less likely to take such supplements as well (Ahmad et al.).
Additionally, it was assumed that such users might have been unaware of the effects of taking too much protein, which is deleterious to kidney disease patients. Accordingly, CytoGain was among the supplements used in the research, and although not directly referring to it, it should be mentioned that there was no information on the manufacturer’s website on the possible harmful effects of using CytoGain in amounts exceeding the recommended.
The cost of using CytoGainer is usually dependant on the amount consumed in a specific period, which in turn might be dependant on the amount of workout performed by the user. According to interviews, the average consumption of the 6 lbs jug, considering one-time drink to be 4 scoops 3-4 times a week, is about a month with a cost of $43-44 with differences of about 5% from different retailers. Generally, the product was found to deliver its main purpose, reporting positive effects from its consumption. Nevertheless, the users should be aware of the amounts they are consuming.
Works Cited
Ahmad, Daniel, et al. “Glutamine Supplementation and Renal Health”. 2009. Trans. Gemstone Team Research. Web.
“Alternative Carbohydrate Sweeteners”. 2009. The Sugar Association. Web.
“Cytogainer”. 2009. CytoSport. Web.
“Cytosport Cytogainer – Vanilla Shake”. 2009. United States National Library of Medicine. Web.