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MET-Rx is an American brand of nutritional supplements originally produced by Met-Rx, Inc., a California company started by Scott Connelly, and sold several times since.
The brand is best known for pioneering a new category of bodybuilding supplements known as meal replacement powders or MRPs.
Created by Scott Connelly, an anesthesiologist, the original MET-Rx product was intended to help prevent critically ill patients from losing muscle mass. Connelly's product was marketed in cooperation with Bill Phillips and the two began marketing to the bodybuilding and athletic communities, launching sales from the low hundreds of thousands to over $100 million annually. [1] Connelly sold all interest in the company to Rexall Sundown for $108 million in 2000. [2] MET-Rx is currently owned by NBTY.
The original MET-Rx meal replacement product came in two canisters—one labeled MET-Rx "base" and the other MET-Rx "plus". The instructions were to take two scoops of the plus and one scoop of the base and mix them in milk or water. As the product grew more popular, it was released as one formula combining the "base" and "plus" while removing the micellar casein component. As a result, the original METAMYOSYN blend is no longer used in MET-Rx products, as the current ingredients does not contain micellar casein. [3]
MET-Rx's meal replacements and protein powders contain a proprietary blend (known as METAMYOSYN) which consists of ingredients such as whey protein, calcium caseinate, egg albumen and milk protein isolate, combined with maltodextrin, vitamins, minerals and added amino acids. [4]
An NBC DateLine broadcast on October 6, 1996, entitled "Hype in a Bottle" investigated MET-Rx USA, Inc. The report revealed that MET-Rx had failed to provide published peer-reviewed documentation to substantiate its advertising claims. In October 1993 the "MET-Rx Substantiation Report" was provided to David Lightsey of the National Council Against Health Fraud. The report claimed association with Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas. The report noted that several Dallas Cowboys players had gained an average of 2.5 to 3 pounds of lean body mass weekly for six weeks when using a MET-Rx product -- an obvious red flag. Cooper Clinic was contacted of possible misrepresentation. Cooper Clinic issued a cease and desist letter to Met-Rx from the Cooper Clinic president and medical director. [5]
In February 1995, the Penn State Sports Medicine Newsletter (3;6) published a report titled "Is It Real or Is It Met-Rx?" that concluded, "MET-Rx ... claims of fat loss and increased muscle mass have not been proven by scientifically accepted methods."
The National Council Against Health Fraud discussed Met-Rx in several issues of their newsletter, pointing out that the scientific claims of the manufacturer were not based on scientific studies but on the endorsement on celebrities. [6] [7] [8] [9]
MET-Rx currently features a wide variety of television sponsorships such as the MET-Rx World's Strongest Man competition and as of 2004 the company claimed the brand was endorsed by 50 top athletes. [10]
MET-Rx also sponsors dozens of athletes, bodybuilders, and celebrities, as well as being the primary sponsor of the World's Strongest Man competition.
In early interviews and promotional materials, Connelly marketed himself as a 1973 Harvard Medical School graduate, and claimed he was on the faculty of Stanford Medical School between 1979 and 1986. However, Connelly was only at Harvard as a post-grad "special student" in the 1973–74 academic year. He then got his Doctor of Medicine in anesthesia from Boston University School of Medicine in 1978 and did a one-year Stanford fellowship in 1981. Connelly was an unpaid clinical instructor and was never part of the full-time faculty at Stanford. [11] [12]
Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic purposes over functional ones, distinguishing it from similar activities such as powerlifting and calisthenics.
A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources, or that are synthetic. The classes of nutrient compounds in supplements include vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, and amino acids. Dietary supplements can also contain substances that have not been confirmed as being essential to life, and so are not nutrients per se, but are marketed as having a beneficial biological effect, such as plant pigments or polyphenols. Animals can also be a source of supplement ingredients, such as collagen from chickens or fish for example. These are also sold individually and in combination, and may be combined with nutrient ingredients. The European Commission has also established harmonized rules to help insure that food supplements are safe and appropriately labeled.
The National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF) was a not-for-profit, US-based organization, that described itself as a "private nonprofit, voluntary health agency that focuses upon health misinformation, fraud, and quackery as public health problems."
Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of hard cheese, like cheddar or Swiss cheese. Acid whey is a byproduct brought out during the making of acid types of dairy products, such as strained yogurt.
Whey protein is a mixture of proteins isolated from whey, the liquid material created as a by-product of cheese production. The proteins consist of α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, serum albumin and immunoglobulins. Glycomacropeptide also makes up the third largest component but is not a protein. Whey protein is commonly marketed as a protein supplement, and various health claims have been attributed to it. A review published in 2010 in the European Food Safety Authority Journal concluded that the provided literature did not adequately support the proposed claims.
William Nathaniel Phillips is an American entrepreneur and author. He wrote Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength with Mike D'Orso. He is also the author of Eating for Life and the founder and former editor in chief of Muscle Media magazine and the former CEO of EAS, a performance nutritional supplement company. Other books that Phillips has authored are Anabolic Reference Guide,The Natural Supplement Review, and Transformation: The Mindset You Need. The Body You Want. The Life You Deserve. Phillips made a promotional movie called Body of Work which was filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada and chronicled the first EAS Challenge.
Rexall was a chain of American drugstores, and the name of their store-branded products. The stores, having roots in the federation of United Drug Stores starting in 1903, licensed the Rexall brand name to as many as 12,000 drug stores across the United States from 1920 to 1977. The "Rex" in the name was derived from the name of Ellen M. Regis—"Regis" being Latin for "of the king"—who developed "Rexall remedies" and from whom the company purchased the mark.
Bodybuilding supplements are dietary supplements commonly used by those involved in bodybuilding, weightlifting, mixed martial arts, and athletics for the purpose of facilitating an increase in lean body mass. Bodybuilding supplements may contain ingredients that are advertised to increase a person's muscle, body weight, athletic performance, and decrease a person's percent body fat for desired muscle definition. Among the most widely used are high protein drinks, pre-workout blends, branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), glutamine, arginine, essential fatty acids, creatine, HMB, whey protein, ZMA, and weight loss products. Supplements are sold either as single ingredient preparations or in the form of "stacks" – proprietary blends of various supplements marketed as offering synergistic advantages.
Calcium caseinate is one of several milk proteins derived from casein in skim and 1% milk. Calcium caseinate has a papery, sweet and overall bland flavor, and is primarily used in meal preparation and fat breakdown. Caseinates are produced by adding an alkali to another derivative of casein, acid casein. The type of caseinate is determined by the cation added alongside the acid casein. Other cations used to form caseinates besides calcium include ammonium, potassium, and sodium.
A2 milk is a variety of cows' milk that mostly lacks a form of β-casein proteins called A1, and instead has mostly the A2 form. Cows' milk like this was brought to market by The a2 Milk Company and is sold mostly in Australia, New Zealand, China, and the United States. It was sold in the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2019. Non-cow milk, including that of humans, sheep, goats, donkeys, yaks, camels, buffalo, and others, also contain mostly A2 β-casein, and so the term "A2 milk" is also used in that context.
EAS was a distributor of creatine nutritional supplements with approximately 300 staff, annual sales exceeding $300 million, and offices/distributors in 54 countries.
The Bountiful Company is an American dietary supplements company. It is owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, which sold most of the company's brands to Nestlé in 2021.
David Christopher Palumbo is a retired American bodybuilder. He competed in his first bodybuilding competition in 1990, an NPC national competition in New York City, where he placed 6th place weighing in at 168 lbs. In just 5 years, Palumbo would gain 70 lbs and win the overall at the 1995 NPC Junior Nationals. His best placing in competition came at the 2003 NPC USA Championships where he finished 2nd place in the Super Heavyweight class.
CytoSport is an American manufacturer of sports-oriented nutritional products, or "supplements" based in Benicia, California. It is a subsidiary of PepsiCo organized under the Gatorade line of products, and is primarily known for its line of Muscle Milk protein supplement products, primarily in the form of ready-to-drink beverages and powders. In Canada, the product is branded as Muscle Mlk, a modification required in Canada to avoid confusion with milk. CytoSport also formerly produced supplemental products under the Monster Milk and CytoMax brands.
Milk protein concentrate (MPC) is any type of concentrated milk product that contains 40–90% milk protein. The United States officially defines MPC as "any complete milk protein concentrate that is 40 percent or more protein by weight." In addition to ultrafiltered milk products, the MPC classification includes concentrates made through other processes, such as blending nonfat dry milk with highly concentrated proteins, such as casein.
Cellucor is an American sports nutrition brand, specializing in dietary supplements, bodybuilding supplements, and energy drinks.
Sour cream is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturally, sours and thickens the cream. Its name comes from the production of lactic acid by bacterial fermentation, which is called souring. Crème fraîche is one type of sour cream with a high fat content and less sour taste.
The a2 Milk Company Limited is a dual listed NZX and ASX 50 public listed company that commercialises intellectual property relating to A1 protein-free milk that is sold under the a2 and a2 Milk brands, as well as the milk and related products such as infant formula.
Huel Ltd. is a British company that makes plant-based meals, snacks, drinks, and food supplements. The head office is in Tring, Hertfordshire.
Rashid Shabazz, known professionally by the nickname “Roc”, is an American IFBB Pro Champion, celebrity fitness trainer, and business owner.
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Bridget Fonda as Melanie Ralston in Quinten Tarentino's - Jackie Brown (1997) offers Robert DeNiro's Character a Met-Rx in the kitchen scene. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Brown#Cast