I spend a fair amount of my time traveling, and like many have remarked the world’s increasing homogenization. Around each corner now stands a McDonalds, a Starbucks, a Gap. And, increasingly, a GNC. That’s right – while the Gap empire consists of nearly 4,000 stores worldwide, General Nutrition Centers trumps the khaki king with a whopping 5,000 stores. And, unlike the vast majority of the US-headquartered retail behemoths, GNC is actually entirely owned by Dutch conglomerate Royal Numico.

Indeed, wherever its point of origin, GNC seems well poised to take over the world, at least vitaminically. Which is odd, as the stores seem to fly under our collective cultural radar. Most people, I suspect, would be more than a bit shocked to discover GNC overshadows the Gap in terms of presence. But once you first notice GNC’s proliferation, as I did about a year back, you can’t help but see those big red letters literally everywhere you turn.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be overly surprising, considering Body for Life’s multi-year stint on the bestseller lists, MetRx’s heavy sports arena advertising, and society’s increasing fascination with six-packed abs and pumped pecs. In fact, I myself venture into the GNC around the corner every few months to pick up a box of Balance Bars, which I keep in my desk for mid-day or late-night snacking.

Each time I head into a GNC, however, I’m caught a bit off guard. First, the employees themselves never strike me as particularly fit or robust. “This WeightGain 8000 has worked wonders for me,” I’ll hear a marathon-runner type intone. And I have to wonder, if the guy looks that emaciated now, how exactly did he look before he started ‘bulking up’? Worse, though, are the customers, who by and large look downright sickly. They whip out their GNC Gold Cards, plunk down a few hundred dollars for several tubs of scientifically named powders (‘tri-oxy-methyl-antipaunch’) and plod wheezingly out the door, apparently out of breath from the exertion of standing upright.