I received an email yesterday from a former client asking me about my opinion of deer antler spray for building muscle mass. Interestingly enough I had just listened to a radio ad this morning on the way into work from a local supplement retail store here in Charleston that was promoting a deer antler spray product.
Instead of just replying with a quick answer I figured I’d do a blog post on this subject, since I’m sure I have other readers who would like to be in the know.
The whole idea of using deer antler spray was relatively unknown until it burst onto the scene last year around the time of the Superbowl when it came out that (allegedly) former Baltimore Ravens All-Pro linebacker Ray Lewis was using the product.
Regardless of whether he took the product or not, the media frenzy has certainly helped create more sales. It’s a hot product right now, as evident by supplement retailers spending money on radio ads to promote it.
But the interesting side of this is what the product is being hyped up for….helping to build muscle. Huh? I thought Ray Lewis (again allegedly) was taking the product to help recover from a torn triceps injury.
No matter, the supplement companies knew they had something since deer antler velvet supposedly contains IGF-1 (insulin growth factor) and to the uneducated masses they could easily hype up claims of enhanced muscle growth.
Oh, the snake oil salesman of yesteryear still remains, they’ve just changed from side show peddlers to million dollar corporations with hefty marketing budgets.
Let’s dig into what makes this the latest scam to hit the supplement industry.
More after the jump…