Supplements in Sport: Safe, Effective and Legal Comes First 💊
Evidence-based guidance for supplements.
National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement: Evaluation of Dietary Supplements for Athlete Safety and Performance
Study Details
This new position statement from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association provided evidence-based guidance for evaluating dietary supplements for athlete health, safety and performance 🔍
Here are the key takeaway messages ⬇️
Key Findings
🥗 A “food-first, but not always food-only” approach should underpin supplement use
⚡ Optimising overall fuelling patterns can improve performance before supplements are considered
🎯 Supplements should only be used when there is a clear evidence-based health or performance rationale
⚠️ All supplements carry some risk of contamination, adulteration or inaccurate labelling
🧪 A recent review found approximately 28% of tested supplements contained undeclared substances
🚫 Athletes remain strictly liable for prohibited substances detected in their samples, even when contamination is unintentional
✅ Third-party testing substantially reduces, but does not completely eliminate, supplement and anti-doping risk
🔍 Athletes should verify that the specific product batch has been tested for banned substances
🇬🇧 Informed Sport is highlighted as a reputable certification programme that tests each batch against the WADA prohibited list
💊 Megadosing vitamins and minerals should be avoided unless clinically indicated and professionally supervised
🩸 Iron, calcium and vitamin D supplementation should primarily address identified deficiency or inadequate dietary intake
🦠 Evidence-supported probiotic strains may reduce the frequency, duration or severity of gastrointestinal and respiratory illness in athletes
☕ Caffeine has strong evidence for improving endurance, strength, power, reaction time and perceived effort
💪 Creatine monohydrate has strong evidence for improving high-intensity exercise capacity, strength and hypertrophy
🔥 Beta-alanine can improve exercise capacity, particularly during high-intensity efforts lasting approximately 30 seconds to 10 minutes
🥤 Sodium bicarbonate can improve performance during short, high-intensity exercise by increasing extracellular buffering capacity
Dietary nitrate, including beetroot juice, can improve exercise capacity and endurance-related performance
🍞 Carbohydrate sports foods can provide practical fuel and fluids when whole foods are inconvenient
🥛 Protein powders, bars and drinks can help athletes meet protein targets when normal foods are impractical
🚩 Muscle-building products, fat burners, testosterone boosters, stimulant botanicals and proprietary pre-workout blends are highlighted as higher-risk supplement categories
🧾 Proprietary blends are particularly problematic because individual ingredient doses may not be disclosed
⚠️ Marketing claims on supplement packaging should not be considered evidence of effectiveness
Conclusion
The key decision framework is incredibly simple…
1️⃣ Is it safe?
2️⃣ Is it effective?
3️⃣ Is it legal for the athlete’s sport?
The answer must be YES to all three before considering use.
Reference
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42564675/
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