title: Potential harmful effects of dietary supplements in sports medicine.
abstract: The purpose of this article is to collect the most recent data regarding the safety of well-known or emerging dietary supplements used by athletes.
  
  
  
  From January 2014 to April 2016, about 30 articles have been published in the field. New data show that 90% of sports supplements contain trace of estrogenic endocrine disruptors, with 25% of them having a higher estrogenic activity than acceptable. About 50% of the supplements are contaminated by melamine, a source of nonprotein nitrogen. Additional data accumulate toward the safety of nitrate ingestion. In the last 2 years, the safety of emerging supplements such as higenamine, potentially interesting to lose weight, creatine nitrate and guanidinoacetic acid has been evaluated but still needs further investigation.
  
  
  
  The consumption of over-the-counter supplements is very popular in athletes. Although most supplements may be considered as safe when taking at the recommended doses, athletes should be aware of the potential risks linked to the consumption of supplements. In addition to the risks linked to overdosage and cross-effects when combining different supplements at the same time, inadvertent or deliberate contamination with stimulants, estrogenic compounds, diuretics or anabolic agents may occur.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deldicque
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Francaux
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000009:adverse effects; D000588:Amines / Q000009:adverse effects; D003401:Creatine / Q000009:adverse effects; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004340:Drug Contamination; D004347:Drug Interactions; D062787:Drug Overdose; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004967:Estrogens; D005998:Glycine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D006801:Humans; D009566:Nitrates / Q000009:adverse effects; D013177:Sports; D013178:Sports Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D044005:Tetrahydroisoquinolines / Q000009:adverse effects; D014227:Triazines / Q000032:analysis; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: C571979:1,3-dimethylamylamine; D000470:Alkaloids; D000588:Amines; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004967:Estrogens; D009566:Nitrates; D044005:Tetrahydroisoquinolines; D014227:Triazines; C004946:glycocyamine; D003401:Creatine; C011907:melamine; C012348:higenamine; D005998:Glycine