A longstanding advocate for the dietary supplement industry, Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, published a response to the Roger Clemens steroid scandal and the general argument “Supplements Made Me Do It” that so many professional athletes utilize when caught using dangerous & illegal steroids.

He eloquently writes, “As a child, I couldn’t get away with rule-breaking by saying, “The devil made me do it!” Yet this is essentially what some Major League Baseball players say when accused of steroid use: “The supplements made me do it.”"

This Washington Post article is very well written and worth a close read. This is surely not the last we will hear of steroid usage in professional and Olympic sports this year, but we can only hope that the monotonous blaming of supplements for positive steroid tests will grow as old in consumers ears as it does in ours.

-Patrick

-Patrick

Like protein, flax is an ingredient with few faults. Suprisingly nutritious and inexpensive for manufacturers, flax is becoming a hot ingredient in many mass-market foods including spreads, tortillas, breads, cereals and many more. InsideBayArea.com reports on the growth of flaxseed with a well written article.

The article “lead” is especially catchy:

“It looks like dried bugs, smells like paint, tastes kind of bitter and turns slimy when you mix it with water. Home cooks are befuddled by it, chefs have no interest in it. But make no mistake, if you’re not already eating flax, you will be soon.”

For more on plant and fish oil omega-3 ingredients, read NBJ’s recent Nutritional Raw Materials & Ingredient Supply Issue.

On December 29th, a professional soccer player died on the field of heart failure, as reported by ESPNsoccernet.

This may bring added attention to the high levels of stimulants in energy drinks and some dietary supplements in the United States as the Beijing Olympics grow near.

This should be concerning to U.S. nutritional ingredient manufacturers and suppliers keeping an eye on developing trends in the energy market. NBJ subscribers will recall NBJ’s September Sports Nutrition & Weight Loss issue contained commentary and analysis on the energy market.

Specifically, NBJ research indicates that energy drink and caffeine consumption…or rather over-consumption…may become a consumer health issue in 2008. A few publicized events like this may push the energy & caffeine consumption issue over the threshold in the consumer press.

The growth of Starbuck’s and certain energy drinks, including Red Bull and Hansen’s Energy, has been incredible, but reminiscent of other fast growing products that flew high, and fell hard.

Something to think about in the new year.

-Patrick

It sure would be tough to be the marketer of a weight loss brand over the holidays…knowing that your prime business season sits just around the corner…January 1st.

The New York Times recently reported that Kellogg’s Special K and Weight Watchers will be advertising their products on billboards in Times Square this New Year’s Eve.

Nike and Coca-Cola are getting into the act too.

But that’s not it. Some brands are also launching MySpace pages and looking to digital media to educate consumers about their weight management plans…and the history of dieting. Interesting stuff coming from the big brands these days.

Myself, I enjoyed a few too many Christmas cookies, but worked them off in the Breckenridge, Colorado the week before New Year’s….snowboarding and cross country skiing. Wouldn’t Marion Nestle recommend balance in our diet and our lilves?

-Patrick

Not too healthy in my opinion. A quick search on the new Healthy Dining Findersite of the Boulder, CO area returned Domino’s Pizza, Old Chicago, Burger King, Carl’s Jr. and Hooters. Perhaps the water they serve is the “healthy” option.

How do they get away with this? It’s puzzling to me how sites like this are able to imply that their suggested restaurants are healthy. There may be a chicken or turkey sandwich on the menu for these restaurants, but most of the menu couldn’t be considered healthy. Studies have shown that when consumers feel they are eating healthy…they often eat more than they normally would, increasing their overall caloric intake.

Fortunately, Boulder is a very healthy town and the NBJ team has many healthy food options. I just hope others don’t consider this site authoritative….because it is not.

Here’s a link to an interview with the creators of HealthyDiningFinder.com