https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterubel/2018/04/30/frank-thomas-baseballs-big-hurt-hurts-people-by-promoting-harmful-supplements/#50928fd68c9b

This saddens me greatly.

I see those commercials almost daily.

Nothing wrong or illegal with any of the ingredients in that supplement, story just to create outrage and views

16 minutes ago, Goober said:

Nothing wrong or illegal with any of the ingredients in that supplement, story just to create outrage and views

Its a bullshit product.

That's a pretty damn lazy article.  Why not explain why testosterone supplements aren't good, perhaps interview a medical expert?  

Meh.  That shit is placebo effect and it has the same disclaimer all supplements do.  Now a real disgrace is that swill he calls big hurt beer.

I don't know what decisions the dude has made in life, but he has always been desperate for money all of the way back to his playing career.  His hawking everything that they put in front of his for a few bucks is the least surprising thing ever.

To be clear: the product Frank is a spokesman for is not a "testosterone supplement" in the sense that it is not testosterone. The way these products are *supposed* to work is they stimulate one's body to produce more testosterone within its natural means. Such products typically have zero effect on testosterone, though they occasionally will have some libido-enhancing effects that make the user feel like the stuff must be working. This stuff is only harmful to your wallet and probably not helpful for anything.

Of course, the manufacturer wants people to buy it on the premise that it's probably something like legal steroids. There may be a couple products in the industry that successfully increase natural testosterone production, but we're talking about a very small scale that wouldn't be remotely comparable to steroids. Selling people steroids with minimal instruction and no supporting drugs would indeed be a medical nightmare that could risk people's fertility and a lot of other problems.

In summary:

• Big Frank isn't promoting anything that's going to physically harm anybody. There's a tiny chance it will do something helpful, but probably not.
• Big Frank is promoting something that is total BS and it is unseemly for someone in the Hall of Fame to be part of a company that rips people off like that.
• Given that the scam relies on people assuming the product is steroids or something like them, it is especially dumb of Big Frank to be promoting it given his previous anti-steroids stance and the fact that his size always made him a target of suspicion.

 

Note: I worked in the supplement industry for several years and got well-acquainted with the ways things work and how products get developed. Most herbals are BS in general and one should be most suspicious of ones that advertise on TV.

15 minutes ago, Jake said:

To be clear: the product Frank is a spokesman for is not a "testosterone supplement" in the sense that it is not testosterone. The way these products are *supposed* to work is they stimulate one's body to produce more testosterone within its natural means. Such products typically have zero effect on testosterone, though they occasionally will have some libido-enhancing effects that make the user feel like the stuff must be working. This stuff is only harmful to your wallet and probably not helpful for anything.

Of course, the manufacturer wants people to buy it on the premise that it's probably something like legal steroids. There may be a couple products in the industry that successfully increase natural testosterone production, but we're talking about a very small scale that wouldn't be remotely comparable to steroids. Selling people steroids with minimal instruction and no supporting drugs would indeed be a medical nightmare that could risk people's fertility and a lot of other problems.

In summary:

• Big Frank isn't promoting anything that's going to physically harm anybody. There's a tiny chance it will do something helpful, but probably not.
• Big Frank is promoting something that is total BS and it is unseemly for someone in the Hall of Fame to be part of a company that rips people off like that.
• Given that the scam relies on people assuming the product is steroids or something like them, it is especially dumb of Big Frank to be promoting it given his previous anti-steroids stance and the fact that his size always made him a target of suspicion.

 

Note: I worked in the supplement industry for several years and got well-acquainted with the ways things work and how products get developed. Most herbals are BS in general and one should be most suspicious of ones that advertise on TV.

I decided to look a little more closely at the ingredients, etc. and I was somewhat surprised that the ingredients were decent, all things considered. I still don't think it works and would strongly advise Frank (if he cared what I thought) not to shill for them, at least in the way that he does. It also costs a fortune if the GNC price ($85/month) is anywhere close to the typical price people pay.

There are several ingredients with decent scientific evidence as libido boosters, at least among those with low libido, and a little evidence for fertility enhancement among the infertile. The ingredient they mention in the commercials had one study showing a modest increase in testosterone, but two follow-ups by the same research group found no effect on testosterone levels. In all the trials of that ingredient, people who were given that ingredient did not get stronger, leaner, or get any other practical benefit that might come from more testosterone. One ingredient has some modest evidence for slight increases in testosterone but is at a much, much lower dose than what has been researched.

One ingredient probably does have a small benefit, but again not to testosterone. Research is fairly conclusive against testosterone enhancement, but somewhat encouraging for slight increases in muscle mass and strength in certain subsets of men. That being said, you could just purchase that ingredient for much, much less; a quick search turned up that ingredient at the same dosage in isolation for $10/month.

Conclusion: mostly BS supplement (if we judge it by the claims they make on TV) but may give an edge to people who are training hard and may give erections to those who want them.

I don't know anything about the supplements and don't care to.  But the commercials are awful, and Frank should find another way to make money.  Commercials, by their nature, are usually corny, but Thomas comes off looking like an idiot.  I don't know how he wouldn't feel embarrassed by this. 

1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said:

I don't know what decisions the dude has made in life, but he has always been desperate for money all of the way back to his playing career.  His hawking everything that they put in front of his for a few bucks is the least surprising thing ever.

I'm not sure which one is worse. This or Shaq doing commercials for The General insurance. As well as that horrible movie he made way back when.

 

Edited January 16, 20197 yr by Iwritecode

Get Paid Frank

5 hours ago, NWINFan said:

I don't know anything about the supplements and don't care to.  But the commercials are awful, and Frank should find another way to make money.  Commercials, by their nature, are usually corny, but Thomas comes off looking like an idiot.  I don't know how he wouldn't feel embarrassed by this. 

I hear them all the time on the radio down here in the southeast on the local affiliate ESPN... and they are a disgrace. A couple of women complimenting his muscles and Frank Thomas telling the women to get their men some of whatever pill he's selling? Embarrassing. I cringe every time I hear it come on the air.

So is he going by the Big Squirt now?....

I believe the supplement would be illegal for a MLB player to use, so anyone who feels Frank isn't a pot calling the kettle black still has the Big Hurt wool over their eyes.  

 

1 hour ago, GREEDY said:

I believe the supplement would be illegal for a MLB player to use, so anyone who feels Frank isn't a pot calling the kettle black still has the Big Hurt wool over their eyes.  

 

I don't see any of the ingredients in Nugenix on the WADA banned substances list (which I assume is the basis of MLB's list)