Brian Bullman’s BodyBlog

I’m sure everyone has seen the adverts, you know the one’s “get this product before it gets banned” the mere uttering of the word banned when used in relation to the sports nutrition industry conjures up all kinds of notions that the effects of said product must be so great that not only are they as beneficial, to gaining size and strength as the illegal anabolic steroids can be, but that the product must actually be on the verge of being one, why else would it be banned??
            Well in a recent conversation with some bodybuilding colleges of mine back in Ireland, I learned that BSN’s NO – Xplode is no longer legal in the Republic of Ireland. My exact response was W.T.F??? I was baffled as to the reasoning behind this, after all NO – Xplode is a pre-workout creatine supplement, my mind began to wonder, as it often does, and so long as it doesn’t wonder out under a bus I should be fine eh?? Anyway, I thought to myself is this because NO – Xplode contains Creatine Ethyl-Ester Malate. I learned that the product was banned due to it’s, according to the Irish Medical Board (IMB), www.imd.ie high levels of the vitamin B12!!!! Now I was amazed as NO – Xplode contains a mere 120mcg of B12, which as stated on the label as part of the nutritional facts was 2000% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). I’ve never really had much faith in the RDA’s when it comes to supplementation especially when it related to sports nutrition. Most RDA’s are over 40 years old and are based on sedentary folk and giving basal levels for basic human survival. So being intrigued by this I contact the Food Safety Authority of Ireland www.fsai.ie and received a mail from their information assistant Jaseep Bhamra, which had no knowledge on the matter and informed me that “if” the product was indeed banned in Ireland in would have been banned by the Irish Medical Board (IMB) which I in turn contacted through their Public Relations representatives, Weber Shandwick London (W.S.L), I received an email from one Angie Grant PR consultant with W.S.L. Below is a quote from said emial
“In relation to your query on No-Xplode, the IMB can confirm that this product was found to be in breach of the Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) Regulations 2003 as amended. No-Xplode was found to contain high levels of Vitamin B12. The level contained in the product classifies it as a prescription only medicinal product in Ireland. In accordance with the regulations, a prescription only medicine may only be sold by a registered pharmacist keeping open shop under the Pharmacy Acts and on foot of a valid prescription issued by a registered medical practitioner.”
It leads me to ponder at times, are the lads back in Ireland going into their Doctors office’s saying I can’t get a pump Doc, I need some NO – Xplode, my bench is going to crap and I not filling out my t-shirts any more.
All this fuss being made in Ireland about B12 may lead to questions about the importance of the vitamin and it benefits, potential side effects and overdose risks, so I decided to get some background information for ye.
            The vitamin B12 is utilized within the human body for numerous vital bodily functions, B12 helps maintain a healthy nervous system, it does so by helping to maintain the insulation sheath that surround the nerves, B12 is also responsible for the reproduction of DNA and the regulation of red blood cell production, the vitamin is also beneficial for maintaining and increasing energy levels in the body.
            B12 is available in a normal diet through the consumption of foods such as liver, especially lambs liver, kidneys, eggs, cheese and even some fish. However, some individuals suffer from a lack in the production of the intrinsic factor required for the absorption of B12 from the small intestine, which also starts to decline rapidly with age; these individuals require B12 supplementation for optimal health. Deficiency of B12 can lead to hematological – such as decrease in red blood cell count, skin discoloration, neurological nerve damage, memory loss and decrease in cognitive function in the elderly and gastrointestinal problems, such as diarrhea, which I’ve heard runs in some families so don’t go thinking you’re suffering from B12 deficiency just yet, abdominal pain, a burning sensation in the tongue and even constipation – no shit I hear you say.
So the question looms, how much B12 is required through supplementation?? The body actually only needs 2 micrograms which is 2 millionths of a gram per day, bearing in mind that these requirements are estimated using sedentary folk. So for those requiring B12 supplementation doses as low as 10mcg per day would be sufficient to maintain the body’s B12 levels, a 2000mcg dose taken once weekly will also yield similar results. The research has shown no real ill effects are evident from over consumption of the vitamin; rather the excess is stored for future use. In fact many of the available supplements contain upward of 1000mcg of B12 and pose no visible threat to the health of the human body, then a gain that is here in the USA and not in Ireland. I took the liberty of contacting the IMB (a second time) for their recommendations on the issue of vitamin B12 supplementation, and more scientific reasoning to the banning of a perfectly well formulated performance enhancing supplement, their response was more litigious than anything else, here is the response I received
“In response to your query, as per the Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) Regulations 2003 as amended 25mcg as a maximum daily dose may be sold without a prescription.”
 From my past in Ireland it seems the Sport nutrition field falls under great scrutiny from the powers that be, and when it comes to alcohol and tobacco they seem to be the powers that DON’T, I remember back in the early 1990’s when I was a teenager, It was easier to get a copy of a porno magazine (not that I saw that many of them, and I swear ladies I only read the articles) than it was to get an issue of a bodybuilding or health and fitness magazine, the reasoning behind our fine sports publications being taken off the shelf was the advertisement of “supplements” that may pose health risks to the public, mind you at the time both alcohol and tobacco were still legal to advertise in Ireland!!!! The government seemed to have performed a 180 that even Tony Hawk would be proud of in putting our fine magazines back on the shelves but this latest legislation with regards to B12 leaves me baffled and it seems the Irish government are gonna wipe out with this one. I look forward to reading the argument that lead to the maximum daily allowance of 25mcg of B12 and the banning of BSN’s NO – Xplode!!!!

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