[nanwynnfan]

bedir:

I'm no lawyer; but I'd put forth the following as possible modifiers of degrees of guilt or innocence with athletes taking supplements of any kind for career enhancement:

1. the sheer number of supplements, which can further be confused by brand names, generic names, and benefit descriptors;

2. the diverse nature of supplements and their derivations: hormones and subsets; proteins and subsets; vitamins and subsets; glandular, with subsets, benefits and delivery mechanisms;

3. delivery systems, topical, liquid, injected ...

AND, add to these considerations, the following:

4. marketing ploys that mask the underlying questionable areas and focus on the benefits;

5. presentation by technical chemical names and classifications which can mask popular names which might otherwise set of warning systems.

Against this, I try to put myself in the position of a young athlete with perhaps a 5-12 year career horizon looking for whatever disciplinary method [workout regimin] or supplement [often easily mixed in as part of a full nutrition package] might give me an edge.

Typical of my age group, I may not have any interest intechnical taxonomies or chemical notations, I may look to what's "best" for me and my career purposes.

In that context, the concept of "evil" yields to that of "competitive edge;" and in a prevailing atmosphere of hard words and soft discipline I find it very hard to be judgmental.