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View Full Version : I love the Animal products, but why so many additives?



leftside
10-18-09, 5:40 pm
I've had good results from the Animal products, but I've now stopped taking them due to all the additives such as Magnesium Stearate, Titanium Dioxide, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, etc.

I know other companies also add a lot of additives, but Animal unfortunately seem to be a little worse than average. Such a shame - as the "good stuff" inside the products is really quite good!

I don't suppose an "additive free" product(s) will ever be released?

Dr.Platypus
10-18-09, 8:47 pm
have you also stopped consuming all food you did not raise and kill in your backyard?

Berzerker
10-18-09, 9:09 pm
The additives are minimal when you compare them to other big name companies,(the ones with all the advertising.) Universal/Animal is different than the rest, and their products are tried and true. Also, they add Anti-oxidants and minerals to everything to protect your body from certain things, such as Animal Pump, the NO booster can cause oxidation, but Universal goes one step further and adding anti-oxidants. Also they add the dies such as coloring so you can distinguish whats what, like the red pill is the stim pil. There is no such thing as a perfect (muscle building) supplement......besides Animal Pak!

JasonG
10-18-09, 10:47 pm
What's one example of a additive free supplement other than natural protein supplements?

prowrestler
10-18-09, 10:52 pm
http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/funny-pictures-troll-car-hating.jpg

http://clanuk.com/forums/images/smilies/troll-web.jpg

leftside
10-18-09, 11:03 pm
Also they add the dies such as coloring so you can distinguish whats what, like the red pill is the stim pill
Fair enough. That does help me, because the stim pill is the one pill I remove.

There are other products that are additive free such as BioForge.

Don't get me wrong, I do like the Animal products. I'm just a little careful what I put into my body (probably more than most people). The less additives = the better for me. I'd just like to see the animal products with less adidtives and I would buy again.

Yes, I know the other products out there also contain a lot of additives. Don't get me started on some of the pre-workout powders....

I've started making my own mixes for pre-workout powders and Test boosters - but purchasing the ingredients individually is costing me $'s....

leftside
10-18-09, 11:09 pm
have you also stopped consuming all food you did not raise and kill in your backyard?
The only meat I eat is ocean fish :-) Yeah, I'm sure I'm going to get flamed big time for that...

Guys, I'm not trolling. Most of these supplements are meant for daily use. Once you start to combine Pump + Stak + Nitro, etc, the additives start to add up... I'd just like to limit them as much as I can.

leftside
10-18-09, 11:12 pm
What's one example of a additive free supplement other than natural protein supplements?
Good question. Why is that? Shouldn't there be more additive free supplements? It's not difficult....

Little Z
10-18-09, 11:27 pm
Guys, I'm not trolling. Most of these supplements are meant for daily use. Once you start to combine Pump + Stak + Nitro, etc, the additives start to add up... I'd just like to limit them as much as I can.

Actually the ones meant for daily use you dont even mention..

Animal Pak
Animal Omega
Animal Flex
Universal Uni-Liver

just to name a few.. but im sure you knew that..

Little Z
10-18-09, 11:29 pm
It's not difficult....

Then where's your company?

leftside
10-18-09, 11:36 pm
Then where's your company?
I'd say that not adding additives is far easier than starting your own company :-)

Cstlfx
10-19-09, 1:41 am
All but one of the additives you mentioned are for coloring. If you dont want them, buy some organic caps and fill them yourself. Or open the caps and take them some other way.

Carpe Diem P.T
10-19-09, 2:50 am
everyone is getting on this guys case. he just wants to see less additives, he hasnt said animal sucks, he just wants less additives. Fair enough I say. I dont even know what additives really do and I dont care. I seem to manage with life pretty well on the shit i put through my innards. but this guy does so ease up soldiers, let him have his say. maybe animal should think about it, maybe not but theres no harm in this guy having an opinion.

androidhinter
10-19-09, 4:28 am
I have a couple things to say. I dont usually say this much. I actually am allergic to red40. my throat will swell up from coolaid or a big red. But, I switched to animal products not just because they work but because of all the crap that was in other products. aspartame, inaccurate labels, etc. The amount of dye in the pills does not bother my allergy. I would not be against taking out all additives if universal wanted to but the amount does not really bother me. Animal has never lied about ingredients, made me sick, ripped me off, made up phony technology for marketing, cited studies from fictional universities or diploma mills, and they always did what they said they would do so I love em. All of those things I have experienced from other companies. On a personal level just watch your intake of artificial ingredients in anything.

Actually, to the animal guys: if you really want to, leaving the colors out at least would be easy. Logically it would even cost less.

Aggression
10-19-09, 9:52 am
Some people look into things far deeper than others. I understand your concern, OP. I hear ya, but I personally don't get too into that stuff. Yeah, they're some additives in there, but everything has additives. I have never once looked at an Animal product, or any product for that matter and became concerned with the amount of 'fillers', or w/e else in the 'other ingredients' section. However, I do in fact do that when it comes to food, as food is consumed on much more frequent basis than supplements are, for me anyway. Pick up a box of frozen crap in the foodstore and take a look at the 'other ingredients'. Its ridiculous.

My opinion? If you keep a close eye on the actual foods, you'll be fine. A few supplements here and there won't do much to cause anyone harm.

ghost
10-19-09, 10:12 am
platypus, posting useless shit in a thread, will get you infractions.

the additives that are in the supplements are there to boost you along the way, just like the additives in your food and drinks every day.

Wasteland
10-19-09, 10:22 am
I've had good results from the Animal products, but I've now stopped taking them due to all the additives such as Magnesium Stearate, Titanium Dioxide, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, etc.

I know other companies also add a lot of additives, but Animal unfortunately seem to be a little worse than average. Such a shame - as the "good stuff" inside the products is really quite good!

I don't suppose an "additive free" product(s) will ever be released?

I think you'll find more of these additives in capsules/tablets as opposed to powders. Often, excipients are needed as "carriers" to active ingredients, or to help form/bind/punch tablets, for example. Regarding the colorings, those are likely from the color in the capsules (which, as others have pointed out, serve to differentiate the pills visually, among other things). So these are not added to improve the efficacy of the ingredients, per se.

leftside
10-19-09, 5:14 pm
Good points regarding the caps. I could open them up and add to a pre-workout drink.

The Stearic Acid and Magnesium Stearate are additives that in an ideal world I'd like to see removed, but heck - even regular vitamin manufacturers use Magnesium Stearate, so whatever....

My biggest concern would be the Titanium Dioxide. High quality vitamin companies refuse to use this additive.

I only started looking at the "other ingredients" when I was considering stacking multiple Animal products.

JasonG
10-19-09, 5:46 pm
Did a little research on titanium dioxide. Hmm it's widely used as a white pigment in products ranging from paint, cosmetics, toothpaste, sunscreen and food coloring. One study says it has been found to be a safe compound but the danger is in making compounds into smaller and smaller nanoparticles with advances in technology. Here's a link to read for yourself because I'm getting over my head trying to explain it lol.

http://www.organicmakeup.ca/CA/titaniumdioxide.asp

Cstlfx
10-19-09, 8:46 pm
Good points regarding the caps. I could open them up and add to a pre-workout drink.

The Stearic Acid and Magnesium Stearate are additives that in an ideal world I'd like to see removed, but heck - even regular vitamin manufacturers use Magnesium Stearate, so whatever....

My biggest concern would be the Titanium Dioxide. High quality vitamin companies refuse to use this additive.

I only started looking at the "other ingredients" when I was considering stacking multiple Animal products.

I must warn you, opening them up and adding them to a drink is going to be harsh. I've done it before. If you have a strong enough flavor in your drink, it's doable. Just adding it to water, or some weak flavored water, takes some will power to get and keep down.

So, make sure to have strong flavors handy!

leftside
10-19-09, 11:00 pm
It was harsh! I opened up Pump and M-Stak and simply added them to pure water just to see what it tasted like. Managed to drink it all, but I think I'll put my remaining packs in something like orange juice....

Little Z
10-19-09, 11:00 pm
It was harsh! I opened up Pump and M-Stak and simply added them to pure water just to see what it tasted like. Managed to drink it all, but I think I'll put my remaining packs in something like orange juice....

or just take them the way they were produced.. simple..

leftside
10-19-09, 11:12 pm
or just take them the way they were produced.. simple..
No chance. Do the research on FD&C Red #40. It is banned in the UK, Denmark, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and Sweden. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allura_Red_AC

FD&C yellow #5 & #6 is also pretty bad: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartrazine

Little Z
10-19-09, 11:16 pm
No chance. Do the research on FD&C Red #40. It is banned in the UK, Denmark, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and Sweden. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allura_Red_AC

FD&C yellow #5 & #6 is also pretty bad: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartrazine

Glad im in the USA and wiki sure is a reputable source of information.. a self edit site..

Dr.Platypus
10-19-09, 11:21 pm
i'm 100% positive animal isn't secretly trying to poison us.

Little Z
10-19-09, 11:22 pm
i'm 100% positive animal isn't secretly trying to poison us.

i second this..

ive never had an issue with any of the Universal or Animal product line in over 5 years

Cstlfx
10-19-09, 11:28 pm
It was harsh! I opened up Pump and M-Stak and simply added them to pure water just to see what it tasted like. Managed to drink it all, but I think I'll put my remaining packs in something like orange juice....

Thats a good idea, hopefully with some pulp! Thats one thing that always gets me with powders is the layer of grit at the bottom. There's little mix ability when you open up those capsules, so its all grit.

I like the pills because I avoid that grittiness. But if you can stand the flavor and what not, more power to you!

leftside
10-19-09, 11:42 pm
i'm 100% positive animal isn't secretly trying to poison us.
Of course they're not. Lots of companies in the US use this crap. But, I LIKE Animal products and would like to continue using them. If I can help to persuade them to remove the crap, then I'll purchase the products again.

Little Z
10-20-09, 1:16 am
Of course they're not. Lots of companies in the US use this crap. But, I LIKE Animal products and would like to continue using them. If I can help to persuade them to remove the crap, then I'll purchase the products again.

good thing Universal produces powder supplements as well.. order up!

prowrestler
10-20-09, 1:25 am
Of course they're not. Lots of companies in the US use this crap. But, I LIKE Animal products and would like to continue using them. If I can help to persuade them to remove the crap, then I'll purchase the products again.

just some food for thought...

the air we breath is poluted, our water aint exactly the purest, hell our VITAMIN water is fuckin bad for you ......and you are worried about additives?

dont over think stuff. my tip in life.

wikipedia aint the best sources. its self edited

Wasteland
10-20-09, 9:50 am
My biggest concern would be the Titanium Dioxide. High quality vitamin companies refuse to use this additive.


I don't believe they are "adding" this to the supplements. Rather, titanium dioxide is a coloring agent that's probably in the capsule shells they purchase. That's my guess.

t_mh
10-20-09, 8:00 pm
Why does everyone get so damn defensive when someone has a question about ingredients? The OP doesn't like some of the ingredients in some animal products and wanted to point that out to the company. Maybe it would help Universal if they paid attention since we live in a world where people care more and more about labels. I'm not saying they have to, but the OP could be giving Universal some insight into consumers.

It's not the end of the world if someone doesn't like additives. You guys don't need to start attacking him as if he's going to single-handedly bring down Animal for using its products.

And I'm willing to bet the information he cited is legitimate. Wikipedia is better than you think.

Little Z
10-20-09, 9:35 pm
And I'm willing to bet the information he cited is legitimate. Wikipedia is better than you think.

it may be legit.. but the capsules are not going to kill us..

and i pointed out that Universal makes fine products in powder form, so he wouldnt have to worry about any capsules..

leftside
10-20-09, 10:51 pm
Might not kill you, but who knows what harm could occur to you after 5-10 years of daily usage? Not much I can do about the air I breathe, but I can make a choice on the products I consume.

The powders are arguably worse. For example, in Storm you have Silicon Dioxide, Artificial Flavors, Acesulfame-K and Sucralose.

leftside
10-20-09, 10:52 pm
The powders in the capsules don't taste so bad when mixed with orange juice with pulp.

Little Z
10-20-09, 10:55 pm
Might not kill you, but who knows what harm could occur to you after 5-10 years of daily usage?

no harm here, i started using Animal products at the age of 18, so over 5 years.. started with Pak..

JasonG
10-21-09, 12:03 am
Just ate a couple packets of tuna and they didn't have anything else good to go with it here at work so I said f it and ate some m&m's. Reminded me of this thread and had to come back and report with my lack of willpower LOL.

prowrestler
10-21-09, 12:13 am
Just ate a couple packets of tuna and they didn't have anything else good to go with it here at work so I said f it and ate some m&m's. Reminded me of this thread and had to come back and report with my lack of willpower LOL.

and this has what to do with this thread....

LOL

Dr.Platypus
10-21-09, 8:42 am
SUCRALOSE? OH NO! Oh wait. Sucralose is completely safe.

Wasteland
10-21-09, 8:46 am
Might not kill you, but who knows what harm could occur to you after 5-10 years of daily usage? Not much I can do about the air I breathe, but I can make a choice on the products I consume.

The powders are arguably worse. For example, in Storm you have Silicon Dioxide, Artificial Flavors, Acesulfame-K and Sucralose.

It sounds like you have many concerns about what goes into supplements. I think that's admirable. Truth of the matter is, the supplement industry typically uses artificial sweeteners, flavors, coloring agents, binders and other compounds to help deliver a finished product that looks good, tastes good and is uniform in consistency. There's nothing wrong with being concerned, but it sounds like commercially prepared supplements may not be for you. If you actually understood how the raw materials (the "actives") were manufactured and not just the "inactives" (flavorings, coloring, excipients, sweeteners, etc.), this entire conversation might be rendered moot, lol. For some, even the way a protein powder is manufactured is unacceptable. Then there are potentially questionable chemicals that come from overseas, chemicals which form the backbone of many supplements on the market that you may not think twice about. And what about the general food supply, which accounts for 99.99% of what we ingest daily? Well, you get my drift. In the final analysis, it has to do with your comfort level, seeing the forest from the trees, and all that. Anyway, I'm not aware of any bodybuilding supplement companies that approximate an "organic" approach, but for you, the best bet is probably to make your own formulas. I do it for some things myself. Good luck.

Lightnin'
10-23-09, 9:13 am
Just a thought, but instead of coloring the capsules to identify them why not leave them clear and emboss numbers into them. Stims, for instance, could always be identified as "1" so whether you are taking Cuts or Pump you know which is the stim pill.

For the record I haven't even given the color additives one thought in the past...