title: Prevalence of the use of effective ergogenic aids among professional athletes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Athletic performance can be substantially enhanced with supplements and functional food which are considered by scientists as efficient, safe and legal, such as protein, carbohydrate and protein-carbohydrate supplements, isotonic sports drinks, carbohydrate-protein bars, carbohydrate bars, creatine and caffeine.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study is aimed at an analysis and evaluation of the prevalence of using effective ergogenic aids (creatine, caffeine, isotonic drinks, carbohydrates, and proteins) in a group of Polish professional athletes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research was conducted on 600 athletes (216 women, 384 men) practicing various sports disciplines; the younger group (18-23 years old) consisted of 307 people, while the older one (24-35 years old) was comprised of 293 subjects. A questionnaire was used with questions concerning the frequency and types of consumed supplements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nearly half of the athletes (48,2%) admitted to taking supplementation, of which 36.7% consumed the supplements occasionally and 11.5% continually. The majority of the group (75.4%) claimed to be consuming isotonic drinks, which were the most commonly chosen nutritional aid enhancing physical performance, most frequently supplementing the diet in a continuous manner (41.2%). The least frequently used supplement was creatine, chosen by only one in three interviewees (34,5%). The ergogenic aids were used more often by men than women (50.5% vs. 44.1%), and so were nutrients based on proteins (51.8% vs. 32.0%), carbohydrates (60.7% vs. 46.8%), protein-carbohydrates (45.6% vs. 32.9%), as well as creatine (39.8% vs. 25.0%). The studies showed the inessential difference in the frequency of taking supplementation based on the interviewees' age (0.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Competitors who use supplements over those who choose not to, seems to reflect the continuous lack of the athletes' sufficient awareness of the effectiveness, safety, and health benefits of dietary supplementation that enhances physical performance.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  supplements, dietary supplementation, sport, performance-enhancing substances, athletes.
authors.affiliation: University School of Physical Education in Krakow, Department of Sports Medicine and Human Nutrition, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Frączek
authors.affiliation: University School of Physical Education in Krakow, Department of Sports Medicine and Human Nutrition, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Warzecha
authors.affiliation: University School of Physical Education in Krakow, Department of Sports Medicine and Human Nutrition, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Florentyna
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tyrała
authors.affiliation: University School of Physical Education in Krakow, Department of Sports Medicine and Human Nutrition, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pięta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D045930:Anabolic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D056352:Athletes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D058573:Performance-Enhancing Substances / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011044:Poland; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D045930:Anabolic Agents; D058573:Performance-Enhancing Substances