Understanding Supplements

A dietary supplement is a product that is intended to supplement the diet and contains a dietary ingredient. They are not regulated by the FDA.

Ingredients:

  • May include vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, and glandular extracts
  • May also include extracts, metabolites, or concentrates of those substances

Forms:

  • Powders, tablets, capsules, softgels, gelcaps, liquids
  • May only be intended for oral ingestion
  • Other forms such as a bar as long as the information on its label does not represent product as conventional food or a sole item of a meal or diet
  • Cannot be marketed or promoted for sublingual, intranasal, transdermal, injected, or in any other route of administration except oral ingestion

Purpose

Products

Muscle growth and repair

Protein powder, protein hydrolysate, amino acids, essential amino acids, HMB

Fat reduction

Pyruvate, caffeine, carnitine, ma huang

Exercise metabolism

Carbohydrate, caffeine, bicarbonate, creatine

Promoting recovery

Whole protein powders, protein isolates, hydrolysates, protein-carbohydrate bars and drinks, ginseng

Joint health

Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate

General health

Vitamins, minerals, evening primrose

Immune function

Echinacea, anti-oxidants, zinc, glutamine, lycopene, pycnogenol

CNS stimulation 

Taurine, caffeine, guarana

Meal/replacement

Liquid meals, sports bars, carbohydrate gels

Fluid and electrolytes

Sports drinks, electrolyte supplements

Safeguards

NCCA Banned Substances:

  • Stimulants
  • Anabolic agents
  • To "keep up" with everyone else using supplements
  • Appealing claims/labels 

Dangers

  • Can contain: banned or prohibited substances, unlabeled toxins and/or contaminants, levels of key nutrients above or below what is listed on supplement label
  • May promote dangerous, or fatal health effects

Ingredients Posing Risk

Amphetamines

Anabolic Steroids

Ephedrine

Human Growth Hormone

1,3 DMMA or Methylhexanemine

Caffeine 

Toxins/Contaminants

Red Flags

Muscle-building, weight-loss, sexual enhancement, or energy "supplements

Ingredients end in -ol, -diol, or -stene

Proprietary blends, contain "trademarked" or "patented" ingredients

Claim to act as a treatment for a disease

Claim to be an alternative  to prescription medication

Contain herbal ingredients

Safeguards

NCCA Banned Substances:

  • Stimulants
  • Anabolic agents
  • Alcohol and beta blockers
  • Diuretics and masking agents
  • Narcotics
  • Cannabinoids
  • Peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics 
  • Hormone and metabolic modulators (anti-estrogens)
  • Beta-2 agonists

IOC List of Prohibited Substances:

Supplement 411:

Ergogenic Aids

An ergogenic aid is any training technique, mechanical device, nutritional ingredient or practice, pharmacological method, or psychological technique that can improve exercise performance capacity or enhance training adaptions.

Nutritional Ergogenic Aid

Nutritional supplements taken orally containing a nutritional ingredient that intends to complement the diet. 

Objective

  • Improve sports performance without exerting harmful effects on the individual.
  • A nutritional supplement is ergogenic if studies show it significantly enhances exercise performance following weeks to months of ingestion.
  • Promotes increases in maximal strength, running speed, and/or work during a given exercise task.
  • A supplement may also have ergogenic value if it acutely enhances ability of an athlete to perform an exercise task or enhances recovery from a single exercise bout. 

Supplement

Ergogenic Effect

Concerns

Creatine

Improves performance of repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise with short recovery periods

  • Direct effect on competition performance

  • Enhanced capacity for training 

Associated with acute gain (0.6-1kg) which may be problematic in weight sensitive sports
May cause gastrointestinal discomfort 
Some products may not appropriate amounts or forms of creatine

Caffeine

Reduces perception of fatigue 

Allows exercise to be sustained at optimal intensity/output for longer

Causes side-effect (tremor, anxiety, increased heart rate, etc.) when consumed in high doses
Toxic when consumed in very large doses
Rules of NCAA competition prohibit the intake of large doses that produce urinary caffeine levels exceeding 15 ug/ml
Some products do not disclose caffeine dose or may contain other stimulants

Sodium Bicarbonate

Improves performance of events that would otherwise be limited by acid-base disturbances associated with high rates of anaerobic glycolysis 

  • High intensity events of 1-7 minutes

  • Repeated high-intensity sprints

  • Capacity for-intensity "sprint" during endurance exercise

May cause gastrointestinal side-effects which cause performance impairment rather than benefit 

Beta-alanine

Improves performance of events that would otherwise be limited by acid-base disturbances associated with high rates of anaerobic glycolysis

  • Mostly targeted at high-intensity exercise lasting 60-240 seconds

  • May enhance training capacity 

Some products with rapid absorption may cause paresthesia (tingling sensation)

Nirate

Improves exercise tolerance and economy
Improves performance in endurance exercise at least in non-elite athletes

Consumption in concentrated food sources may cause gut discomfort and discoloration of urine
Efficacy seems less clear cut in high caliber athletes