Students looking for nutritional supplements can start with a 25 percent discount at the Hulen General Nutrition Center.

GNC offers supplements such as daily multi-vitamins, protein, pre-workout powder and creatine, according to GNC’s website.

Supplements are “vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars, and metabolites,” according to the Food and Drug Administration’s website.

Store owner and university alumnus Benny Farzad said he was offering the discount to build a relationship and become more involved with the community.  He advertised the discount in the Frog Saver application for iPhone and Android phones.

Farzad and his brother Bez Farzad acquired the Hulen location in April 2011.

Some students do not know about the discount offered. Senior Effie Bates, a movement science major and nutrition minor, said she had not heard of the discount. She said that she thought GNC was overpriced, but said she would check out the store in the future after learning about the discount.

A lot of supplements can help students get into better shape in addition to a balanced diet. Registered nutritionist and nutrition instructor at the university, Rebecca Dority, said that when taken with a normal diet, supplements are healthy. However, taking the supplements in excess is not good for the user.

There are some negative affects to supplements, said senior Zack Knibble, a personal trainer at the University Recreation Center. He said if taken improperly, supplements could be harmful.  

Knibble and Dority both said they believed sometimes supplements are misrepresented in advertisements. Knibble said that some people think if they take the supplement, then they will look like the person in the ads. Another misconception, they said, is that some people think results come quickly.  

Dority said that taking supplements in excess can even make you gain weight, when you are trying to lose weight. If you exceed what you need daily, you can gain weight instead of losing.

The staff members at the Hulen store are more than willing to answer any questions students have about supplements and how to take them, Benny Farzad said. They will walk through the store and point out which products students need to reach certain fitness goals.