The use of dietary supplements by athletes.
Many athletes use dietary supplements as part of their regular training or competition routine, including about 85% of elite track and field athletes. Supplements commonly used include vitamins, minerals, protein, creatine, and various "ergogenic" compounds. These supplements are often used without a full understanding or evaluation of the potential benefits and risks associated with their use, and without consultation with a sports nutrition professional. A few supplements may be helpful to athletes in specific circumstances, especially where food intake or food choice is restricted. Vitamin and mineral supplements should be used only when a food-based solution is not available. Sports drinks, energy bars, and protein-carbohydrate shakes may all be useful and convenient at specific times. There are well-documented roles for creatine, caffeine, and alkalinizing agents in enhancing performance in high-intensity exercise, although much of the evidence does not relate to specific athletic events. There are potential costs associated with all dietary supplements, including the risk of a positive doping result as a consequence of the presence of prohibited substances that are not declared on the label.
School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK. r.maughan@lboro.ac.uk
Ronald J
RJ
Maughan
Frederic
F
Depiesse
Hans
H
Geyer
D054874:Athletic Performance; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000009:adverse effects; D004300:Doping in Sports; D006801:Humans; D013177:Sports; D014142:Track and Field