Supplementation in sport

Supplements: Pros and Cons

Post:

Supplements: Pros and Cons

Author:

 Tyler Vernon

Posted Date:

November 2, 2012 5:48 PM

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Published

  I think there is an aspect to this argument that perhaps ins't clear, and that is, In my opinion, there are two types of supplements. There are these supplements (http://www.extremesupplements.net/) and then there are these supplements (http://www.vitacost.com/vitaminsandsupplements). For our purposes here we will refer to the first group as Fad Supplements (FS) and the second group as Health Supplements (HS). I understand that perhaps those names are a bit biased, but that isn't a concern as much here. 

 

With that, the pros and cons:

Cons:

 

 I will start by saying that I am concerned that the majority of the supplement's claims are unfounded in research, do not do what they claim to do, or are simply false products in general. These concerns stem from the fact that the supplement industry isn't regulated hardly at all as the FDA website points out; and In addition, the documentary "Bigger, Stronger, Faster: The Side Effects of Being American" by Christopher Bell, demonstrates this point vividly by creating a supplement themselves and selling it without ever getting it 'officially' approved by anyone. (Short clip of the movie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThdFqGLq4QU) These concerns apply more too FS than HS. FS, in most cases, seem to be more marketing driven than health driven, as clearly illustrated by the video clip, and are probably poorly researched if at all as Huggins points out via the world doping agency. In addition, FS are probably more likely to contain Organizationally banned substances than HS, but because of the protection their proprietary blend is given, the athlete might be busted for banned substances when the athlete truly was unaware of what they were taking. HS are far from without cons as well. As chapter 4 in our book points out, most nutrients needed by the body can be naturally, and abundantly obtained through a proper and balanced diet. In addition to that, some nutrients compete for absorption in the body and thus supplements may block, via overload, the natural vitamins and minerals the human body will naturally intake. Furthermore, like their FS counterpart, HS may contain banned substances because the labels are missleading. On many bottles the words "all natural" appear which have safe connotations, but in fact, as Huggins again points out, many substances that are natural are banned, and many substances that are natural aren't safe to ingest, like arsenic (lol). The final con of supplements, in my opinion, is price. Most supplements are expensive, far more expensive than their food product counterpart. Again, in Chapter 4, it was said that it is more cost effective for the budget minded athlete to simply eat whole foods as they will produce the same results (in respect to HS) as the supplements you're purchasing at a premium. 

Pros:

I will start with this note, only under rare circumstances will FS have pros. It is my firm belief that if they really did have a 'magic pill' for whatever it is that they are trying too do, specifically for fat loss, then they would patent the product and either sell it themselves or sell that patent off to a major pharmaceutical company and perhaps reap billions of dollars in profit. However, because that is nearly never the case, one can easily assume that they are either false products, or contain things that reputable companies wont touch. Thus I can say, that for the pros part of this argument FS can be firmly discounted. HS, however, can offer a multitude of benefits if taken appropriately and under the proper guidance. Creatin, for example, has been shown (as illustrated by the webinar Dr. Dawes put up) to produce positive effects in nearly every concept of athletics. From anaerobic training, aerobic training, and even figure competitions creatin has shown to have positive effects. Other NS, like multi-vitamins, are great for athletes who either don't have time, or can't physically consume enough food to offset their energy needs, and therefore are deprived of certain vitamins and minerals in their foods. A multi-vitamin in this case could help offset that deficiency.  In addition to that, certain people who have dietary restrictions like vegetarians should consider NS because it could be the easiest way to obtain the nutrients needed that would otherwise be absent in their daily diets; protein, is a prime example of this. NS aren't just pills that you can buy over the counter. Gatorade and other CHO based sports drinks are considered supplements as well. And although that is sort of an absurd concept, Gatorade as a supplement, there has in-fact been plenty of research to show that CHO enriched beverages during endurance events can help boost performances as much as 4-5%. ( Utter et al. (Utter, A. C., Kang, J., Nieman, D. C., Brown, V. A., Dumke, C. L., McAnulty, S. R., McAnulty, L. S. (2005) Carbohydrate Supplementation and Perceived Exertion During Resistance Exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 19(4), 939-943.)) 

In conclusion, supplements of all kinds have pros and cons. I argue that FS have too many cons, and no pros. HS have a few cons, but could be justified and even warranted with the pros they bring to the table. 

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Pro's and Cons of Creatine Monohydrate as a Supplement

Post:

Pro's and Cons of Creatine Monohydrate as a Supplement

Author:

 Justin Turner

Posted Date:

November 1, 2012 2:26 PM

Status:

Published

Practice What You Know – Sports Supplements

            The use of creatine monohydrate as an athletic supplement has increased dramatically over the last few decades for both weight lifting, and athletic performance. Because the goal of most athletes consist of becoming faster and stronger, creatine monohydrate has established itself as a go-to supplement for coaches and athletes. More specifically, it has been used as an aid in enhancing physical performance bouts of high-intensity, short term, repetitive exercise. With this in mind, numerous studies have been conducted in an attempt to see if creatine monohydrate can indeed enhance an athlete’s athletic performance. Pearson, et al. (1999), used sixteen collegiate football players, through a 10-week supervised resistance-training program to determine long-term effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation on athletes. In order to assess results, they pre and post tested on weight; body fat estimation; 1 repetition maximum bench press, squat, and power clean; and Cybex testing. Upon the completion of the 10-week training period, results indicated the creatine monohydrate group was able to significantly increase measures of strength and power as well as body mass, without changing their body fat, while the placebo group showed no significant differences. Haff, et al. (2000), found similar success with their 6- week creatine monohydrate supplementation on dynamic rate of force development with collegiate track athletes. In this study, subjects were involved in a periodized weight-training program centered on explosive exercises. To assess pre and post testing, 7-site skinfold analysis, a countermovement vertical jump (CMJ), and a static vertical jump (SJ) were performed. Haff, et al., found a significant improvement in CMJ for the creatine group, while the placebo group did not experience a significant increase. Additionally, their results indicated lean body mass also significantly increase in the creatine group upon post-testing. Based on the findings in this study, it can be determined that creatine monohydrate can enhance both lean body mass and counter movement vertical jumping. In a study looking to determine the effects of creatine monohydrate on obstacle courses and multiple bench press performance in military training performance tasks, Warber, et al., (2002), found that creatine usage resulted in a 14% increase in total bench press repetitions. Similar to the findings of the previously mentioned studies, Warber, et al., found an increase of 1.4kg in body mass, and observed a 0.5% decrease in percent body fat. Although the use of creatine monohydrate did not significantly improve military obstacle course performance, it did improve performance during a controlled strength test over a five-day period. Due to the findings in these studies and many others, it may be suggested that using creatine monohydrate as an ergogenic aid to increase physical performance bouts of high-intensity, short term, repetitive exercise is valid. In addition to increasing performance, it has been suggested that poor mood profile (e.g., negative feelings such as depression or fatigue being more prominent than a positive mood such as vigor) is often related to decreased physical performance, a characteristic that creatine monohydrate may be able to reduce due to its ability to reduce fatigue (8).

Although there are many advocators of creatine monohydrate as an ergogenic aid to increase physical performance in bouts of high-intensity, short term, repetitive exercise, there are numerous researchers who question the long term effects of the supplement, as well as the intended use as it pertains to a certain sport. For instance, a long distance runner may not need to use creatine monohydrate as it has the potential (suggested from previous research), to increase muscle mass, which in turn can increase weight, leading to decreased performance.  In a study by Engelhardt, et al., (1998) five days of creatine supplementation (6g/d) did not alter cardiovascular function, VO2, or heart rate during a 30 minute endurance trial followed by interval exercise, likely suggesting that creatine loading does not alter endurance performance, and may potentially decrease performance due to weight gain. Balsom, et al., (1993) found a decrease in endurance performance of trained men due to weight gain from creatine supplements (+0.9 kg). Although majority of research would point to endurance athletes looking to enhance performance through creatine monohydrate, according to Astorino, et al., (2005) research investigating any potential benefit of creatine (Cr) loading on endurance performance is relatively sparse. With this in mind, using creatine as a endurance athlete may negatively impact performance due to the capability of weight gain as proven in previous studies. According to Astorino, a manufacture called Runners Advantage, released a creatine serum claiming to be absorbed more readily than powder form creatine. However, throughout their study they found no ergogenic benefit and do not recommend its use in competitive runners seeking to enhance performance. Additionally, it has been suggested that creatine monohydrate supplementations have not been proven in the ability to maintain multiple sprint performance. In a recent study (5), the investigators were able to determine no significant differences between the creatine and placebo group in multiple sprint measures of fastest time, mean time, fatigue, or posttest blood lactate concentration. With this evidence, it may be appropriate to claim creatine monohydrate supplementation conveys no benefits to multiple sprint running performance. Another con when it comes to creatine monohydrate is the form in which to take it in. Many studies suggest one form to be better than the other. For example, Gill, et al., (2004) found in their study that subjects using creatine powder increased significantly in total work (9.6%) and peak power (3.4%) in cycle sprint, where as there was no significant change in the creatine serum group. In addition to the possible confusion among athletes looking for the proper creatine supplement to take, Gill, et al., (2004) claim while there is an abundance of literature to support the use of creatine in powder form, there is no evidence supporting the use of creatine in liquid form. Although creatine monohydrate has been proven to increase strength, power, and speed in certain aspects physical performance, it is also relatively new to determine the long-term effects on the body, a potential disadvantage. In addition, the use of creatine monohydrate could negatively effect performance in endurance athletes, or simply not provide any advantage resulting in a waste of ones money.

References

1.  Astorino, T., Marrocco, A., Gross, S., Johnson, D., Brazil, C., Icenhower, M., & Kneessi, R. (2005). Is running performance enhanced with creatine serum ingestion?. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 19(4), 730-734.

2.  Balsom, P.D., S.D.R. Harridge, K. Soderlund, B. Sjodin, & B. Ekblom. (1993). Creatine supplementation per se does not enhance endurance exercise performance. Acta. Physiol. Scand. 149:521–523.

3.  Engelhardt, M., G. Neumann, A. Berbalk, And I. Reuter. (1998). Creatine supplementation in endurance sports. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 30:1123–1129. 

4.  Gill, N., Hall, R., & Blazevich, A. (2004). Creatine serum is not as effective as creatine powder for improving cycle sprint performance in competitive male team-sport athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 18(2), 272-275.

5. Glaister, M., Lockey, R., Abraham, C., Staerck, A., Goodwin, J., & McInnes, G. (2006). Creatine supplementation and multiple sprint running performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 20(2), 273-277.

6. Haff, G., Kirksey, B., Stone, M., Warren, B., Johnson, R., Stone, M., O'Bryant, H., & Proulx, C. (2000). The effect of 6 weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation on dynamic rate of force development. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 14(4), 426-433.

7. Pearson, D., Hamby, D., Russel, W., & Harris, T. (1999). Long-term effects of creatine monohydrate on strength and power. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 13(3), 187-192.

8. Warber, J., Tharion, W., Patton, J., Champagne, C., Mitotti, P., & Lieberman, H. (2002). The effect of creatine monohydrate supplementation on obstacle course and multiple bench press performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 16(4), 500-508.

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Sports Supplements: Pros vs Cons

Post:

Sports Supplements: Pros vs Cons

Author:

 Elizabeth Trevino

Posted Date:

November 2, 2012 9:17 PM

Status:

Published

Much of what we know regarding sports supplementation is what we read off of the internet and from fitness magazines; an advantage to having information at our fingertips. There are so many ways to access information in this day and age, that many times what we consider ‘ information’ is in all actuality misinformation. “Athletes often skip the step of deciding whether or not taking dietary supplements is necessary, and buy into assumptions present in the athletic community” (USADA, 2012). The supplementation industry is a 27$ billion industry in the United States (Andrews, 2011). With that being said, it is important to stress to athletes and clients a like the benefits as well as the risks for supplementation use and help educate them to become smart consumers; no one person or organization has all the answers regarding supplementation use (USADA, 2012).

 To start, there are many positive benefits associated with sport supplementation that diet and exercise may not give you singlehandedly. To clarify what constitutes sport supplementation, there are two distinct categories of ergogenic aids: nutritional ergogenic aids, which work in conjunction with establish metabolic pathways, and non-nutritional ergogenic aids, which represent those products that are of unknown origin (Benardot, 2012).

While the benefits of consuming supplementation illustrate all the possibilities for performance enhancement, it’s important to remember that with the consumption of anything there are risks involved. Even though athletes represent a population familiar with nutrition and sports performance, supplementation is not and should not be used as a replacement for food (Andrews, 2011). It is unlikely that an athlete will be unable to receive the nutrients they need from diet alone; in terms of nutrition, supplements can’t compare to whole foods. A caution for supplementation intake is the potential for toxicity and side effects. When viewing the presentation Supplement 411, Jareem Gunter shared his story about the harmful side effects he suffered after taking Superdol, an oral anabolic steroid popular for its inability for aromatisation of estrogen, converting excess testosterone into estrogen (USADA, 2012). Unfortunately, sports supplements are not regulated by the FDA. The responsibility for product labeling and claims made falls directly to the manufacturer which goes back to the notion stated previously, athletes or anyone interested in supplementing their nutrition need to be smart consumers and advocates for their own health safety. From a legal standpoint, there needs to be a grater effort made in regulating the supplement industry.

Andrews, T. (2011). Pros & cons of dietary supplements. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/355831-pros-cons-of-dietary-supplements/

Benardot, D. (2012). Advanced Sports Nutrition. (2^nd ed.). Versa Press.

Grant, K. L. (2000). Patient education and herbal dietary supplementation. American Journal of Health System Pharmacy, 57,1997-2003.

Jackson, J., Lyons, T. S., Roberts, J. L., Geary, C., and Williams, J. (2010). Use of nutritional supplementation among university recreation users. Recreational Sports Journal. 43: 2-8

United States Anti-Dopping Agency. (2012). Supplements: Understand the issues, Learn to reduce risk, make an informed decision [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved fromhttp://www.usada.org/supplement411.

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Supplemental goods and bads

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Supplemental goods and bads

Author:

 Michael Terencio

Posted Date:

November 2, 2012 5:16 PM

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Published

 

Michael Terencio

 

KINE 5306

 

Dr. Jay Dawes

 

Friday, November 02, 2012

 

“ Pros and Cons of Sport Supplementation”

 

 

 Sport supplementation has become a huge industry within the last 20 years. I remember being 11 years old when I read my first magazine on bodybuilding.  The article I paid most attention to was about a man who was one of the first to gain 100 pounds of pure muscle, on top of the existing muscle he already had. It stated how much hard work the guy put into the gym, how much food he ate along with how he broke his meals down as far as how much proteins, fats, carbohydrates, etc. he took in on specific training days and off days, and even how he timed his meals. And of course, the article mentioned the brand of the protein he was using and how it made all the difference in his muscle gains. Now, that guy is known as Mr. Rich Gaspari, CEO of Gaspari Nutrition and an IFBB Hall of Famer and world champion, and a successful multi-millionaire. What it failed to mention was how much anabolic steroids Mr. Gaspari took on a weekly basis in order for him to gain that 100 pounds of muscle. The question to take away from this is how much did his food intake really help his success in the gym opposed to the amounts of anabolic steroids he injected and/or his training styles? 

 

 With that being said, supplementing specific types of performance enhancing supplements can lead to enhanced performance abilities in athletes. There is a tremendous amount of research proving creatine supplementation can enhance many facets of sport abilities (so much in fact, I’ve grown tired of reading articles stating just how much this substance has aided in jumping, strength, power, etc.). Everyone knows how much anabolic steroids can help in strength, power and speed. Protein supplementation has been shown to continuously increase lean muscle gains. Thousands of credible studies have been performed to prove supplementation works. One of these studies was performed in the UK, which utilized 16 college-aged students who had at least one year of weight training experience. Two groups of 8 were formed (one placebo and one control) and the control group showed growth in areas such as increased 1RM bench press, 1RM 45 degree squat, and muscular endurance in several other lifts over the placebo group by almost twice the amount. The control group took a supplement called Cyclone which contained,” creatine monohydrate, whey protein, glutamine and HMB” and took it in,” …twice daily with one intake <15 min following a training session” (Willems 91). This type of supplement success is proven over and over again. It is well known that dehydration is seriously detrimental to performance. It was this finding which drove the invention of Gatorade to become as successful as it is today. In 1965, a team of 4 scientists at the University of Florida got together to help rid the Florida Gators’ dehydration problems caused by environmental heat and humidity. When the head football coach agreed to using the football team as a sort of control group, the results in performance sky-rocketed, so much in fact that the Gators went to their first Orange Bowl in 1966 and won it, and in 1967,” Gatorade became the ‘Official Sports Drink of the NFL’ ” (Emmerson).

 

 

 

 

 

 On the other hand, there are still many athletes, coaches, exercise physiologists, etc. out there which believe sound training backed up by a balanced diet will always lead to performance success. All sport-affiliated governing bodies (NCAA, NFL, NBA, etc.) are against the use of performance-enhancing substances and methodologies. The U.S. Anti-Doping Association (USADA) clearly separates itself from those who practice blood doping methods to win competitions. As for supplementation, the USADA states within its tutorial,”… Natural, whole foods are complicated mixtures of often hundreds and even thousands of ingredients, some of which may not have even been identified yet. Dietary supplements can’t compare to whole foods in terms of nutrition” and “…There is very rarely any dietary supplement that contains something you can’t find in natural foods”.  Dr. Norbert Baume, PhD stated in his research that athletes should,”…avoid problems associated with the consumption of dietary supplements” (Baume 2). 

 

 I personally believe  most athletes are so consumed with training to enhance performance in their sport and see that they train hard enough, that they just don’t have time or don’t want to concentrate on eating well, so they tend to turn to supplementation to try to make up for their lack in nutrition. On the opposing side, the athletes that make time to eat properly tend to perform just as well, if not better than those who supplement to make up for their nutritional lacking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Baume, Norbert, Hellemans, Ien, and Saugy, Martial. (2007). Guide to over-the-counter sports supplements.

 

 International SportMed Journal, 2007, 8, 2-10.

 

 

 

Emmerson, Kassidy. The Interesting History of Gatorade: The Sports Drink that Evolved into an  Industry.  Yahoo! Contributor Network. July 2006.

 

 http://voices.yahoo.com/the-interesting-history-gatorade-50901.html

 

 

 

USADA.  http://www.usada.org/supplement411

 

 

Willems, Mark E.T., Sallis, Chris W., Haskell, Jonathan A. (2012). Effects of multi-ingredient supplementation  on resistance training in young males. Journal of Human Kinetics, 2012, 33, 91-103.

 

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Sport Supplementation Discussion

Post:

Sport Supplementation Discussion

Author:

 Trevor Stewart-Richlen

Posted Date:

October 29, 2012 12:05 PM

Status:

Published

Sports supplementation is a widely polarizing topic in athletics today.  With the ever increasing popularity and demand for elite performances athletes everywhere are searching for an edge.  Many athletes turn to trying sports supplements to give them a boost in performance in order to separate themselves from the rest of the talent pool.  However, not all of these supplements are effective, and in some instances can be harmful to the body.  This paper will review the positives and negatives that can be found in participating in sports supplements. The positives seem to be the increase in performance, mainly from creatine supplementation, and the ingestion of dietary products, such as protein, in the absence of an adequate diet.  The negatives that will be discussed are, no control from the FDA on supplementation, and due to no federal control, athletes taking seemingly legal and healthy products still fail drug tests.

                The most widely researched and popular sport supplement is creatine monohydrate.  This product has been purported to increase muscular size, strength and anaerobic capacity.  Studies consistently show an overwhelming amount of evidence supporting these claims.  Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in the human body.  However, the supplementation of this naturally occurring substance is become extremely popular among young athletes looking for a boost in performance.  Creatine acts as the storage for replenishing decreased levels of ATP brought on by high intensity exercise.  During bouts of high intensity exercise, such as sprinting ATP levels in the body are used up at an extremely high rate.  It is believed that by saturating the muscles with excess creatine ATP can be replenished at a higher rate and intense anaerobic activity can be sustained longer (Benardot, 2012).  A study testing the short and long term effects on creatine supplementation supports these claims.  According to Arzi, Hamid, et.al. 2011, initial effects seen with a short creatine supplementation is an increase in muscular strength.  While effects of prolonged supplementation show increases in muscular cross-sectional area, speed, agility and power.  The study took twenty, active male subjects, and split them into two groups, one received creatine monohydrate(n=10) while the other group received a placebo (n=10).  Both groups performed resistance training on days 3, 5, and seven with testing taking place on days 4, 6, and 8.  The study was performed as a double blind study.  The results showed a significant increase in muscular strength on day three (three days of creatine supplementation), and an even more significant increase in cross-sectional area, strength, agility and power after five days of creatine supplementation (Arazi, 2011).  The main supporting factor for the ingestion of sports supplements is an inadequate diet.  It is increasingly common for athletes to consume an inadequate diet.  Because of this athletes are at more of a risk of dietary deficiencies.  With an increased caloric expenditure there becomes a caloric deficit.  It is the athletes responsibility to increase their caloric intake to meet the caloric expenditure.  However, this become difficult with an athlete's busy schedule and sometimes these demands are not met through a normal diet.  Another popular sports supplement is protein.  Athletes need to ingest more protein than a normal sedentary person in order to not only meet caloric demands, but also for muscle breakdown and repair.  A double-blind study on the effects of protein supplementation on 20 novice resistance trained males showed improvements in muscular strength, power, cross sectional muscle area, and GH levels after eight weeks of training (Arazi H. H., 2011).  This study shows the positive effects of protein as a sport supplementation in athletes directly related to athletic performance.

                However, with every positive that can be found in certain sports supplements, there are far more supplements out there that are extremely abstract that can be harmful to the athlete.  Supplementation regulation, unlike drug regulation falls primarily on the manufacturer instead of the Federal Government.  The FDA regulates claims and ingredients made on drugs, but supplementation claims fall solely on the manufacturer of the product.  However for dietary supplements all ingredients must be labeled and presented on the packaging according to the FDA.  This still doesn't take into account all the claims the manufacturer makes about the purported effects of the supplement (FDA, 2012).  Sports supplements, being regularly unregulated, pose a potential problem for most athletes.  Sport supplements are even less regulated than dietary supplements and many of the ingredients are left off the label.  Athletes are always looking for a boost to increase athletic performance and rely heavily on word of mouth claims from fellow athletes and, often times, coaches.  These claims from friends or coaches are unprecedented and unfound claiming products to be safe and legal.  However due to the decrease level of regulation some seemingly legal products may have banned ingredients that are not listed on the label.  This can incur a potential of failing a drug test even thought the substance claims to be legal and adhere to the NCAA regulations on banned substances  (Huggins, 2010).   This seems to be the main concern with sport supplementation.  The extremely unregulated field leads to much larger problems than simply not knowing what exactly is in the product.  Not having the full information about a supplement can lead to a failed drug test and exclusion from sport competition as a result.  There needs to be more regulation for the health of the athlete, but also for the safety of the athletes integrity and position in their respective sport. 

                Though sport supplementation can be a great way to increase performance and caloric needs, there is a great detriment in the regulation of this field.  With an increase in caloric expenditure it is up to the athlete to meet these demands through healthy nutrition.  However, given an athlete's busy schedule, it has been found that through careful and healthy means, and athlete can meet these demands through dietary supplementation.  However, not all supplements are good supplements, and careful research and consideration should go into evaluating and choosing the best supplement for the athlete.  Since the supplement industry is relatively unregulated finding a safe and effective supplement is difficult.  The need to increase performance as fast as possible can lead to adverse health effects and the potential of exclusion from athletic competition due to unforeseen ingredients causing failed drug tests. 

Bibliography

Arazi, H. H. (2011). The Effects of Whey Protein on Performance and Hormonal Adaptations Following Resistance Training in Novice Men. Academy of Physical Education and Sport in Gdansk , 87-95.

Arazi, H. R. (2011). EFFECTS OF THREE, FIVE AND SEVEN DAYS OF CREATINE LOADING. Serbian Journal of Sports Sciences , 99-105.

Benardot, D. P. (2012). Advanced Sports Nutrition. Human Kinetics.

FDA. (2012, September 04). Dietary Supplements Q&A. Retrieved October 29, 2012, from US Department of Health and Human Services: http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/ConsumerInformation/ucm191930.htm#what_info

Huggins, S. (2010, August 26). Resources available to navigate supplement field. Retrieved October 29, 2012, from NCAA: http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/Resources/Latest+News/2010+news+stories/August+latest+news/Resources+available+to+navigate+supplement+field

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Pros and Cons about Supplements

Post:

Pros and Cons about Supplements

Author:

Morgan Seals

Posted Date:

November 1, 2012 8:37 PM

Status:

Published

Pros and Cons about Supplements

            It is common trend for athletes (amateur and professional) to take supplements for what they believe can help their athletic ability, increase energy, gain muscle mass, lose or gain weight and enhance recovery time.  The supplements commonly taken among athletes are protein, creatine, energy supplements, weight gainers/losers, and vitamins/minerals.  The majority of athletes do not educate themselves before taking supplements, which could cause harm to them in the end.

PROS

 As stated above, a popular supplement is creatine. “It is believed that athletes who saturate their muscles with creatine will enhance their capacity to maintain the high-energy compound ATP and delay fatigue in high-intensity activity” (Bernadot 2011).  Creatine is especially important for sprint athletes who do not have much time to recover between events.  An increased amount of creatine can improve performance in strength and power events.  On the other hand, Whey protein isolate is a great source of the amino acid leucine.   Whey protein isolate is believed to help in muscle maintenance and growth.  In an eight-week weight training study comparing results between Whey protein and a placebo group, the Whey protein group experience a greater body weight increase verses the placebo group.  During the same study, both groups were asked to perform bench press, squats and vertical jumps.  Both groups experienced significant increase over the eight-week period however, the Whey protein results were much greater.  Energy supplement, like caffeine, can improve reaction time and help athletes train at higher rates and more output.  Caffeine can help endurance athlete’s speed up the use of fatty acids as a fuel source earlier in workouts/competitions, which will delay fatigue.  A small amount of caffeine can allow an athlete to receive the energy boost to help relieve them from fatigue in competition.

CONS

 Creatine has been said to make athletes feel puffy because some of the weight gain is water.  This weight gain could cause one to have difficulty with their balance and agility.  Creatine should not be used longer than five days with a five-day break in-between.  The strict schedule is due to the fact that it causes too much saturation in the muscles.   The use of energy supplement that contain caffeine has shown to have side effects in ingested not properly.  Some side effects are anxiety, increased blood pressure, insomnia, and headache.  Some athletes need to maintain a heavier weight for their sport in which many athletes will by costly weight gainers.  Athletes can easily gain more body mass by consuming more protein, having pre and post workout meals, and staying consistent with weight training.  Supplements that claim to burn fat are useless, if anything, cause harm to the central nervous system, liver, heart issue, and even death.  Athletes are strongly urged to stay away from any product that says it is a fat burner. 

            It is important that athletes know what is in the supplements they are taking.  Under NCAA rules, testing positive on a drug test is an automatic season suspension from athletic competition.  The supplement industry is not very well regulated therefore many supplements contain ingredients that are banned.  College athletes commonly buy supplements that friends in the gym or internet recommend to them.  Though these people may not have the intention to harm the athlete, it commonly hurts them in the end.  It is crucial that athletes discuss supplements with someone who has proper knowledge of the banned substance list; this person is usually an athletic trainer.  Supplements do not have to be reviewed by FDA before being sold in stores and there are not consequences or repercussions if manufactures’ do not play by the rules. 

Arazi, H., Hakimi, M., & Hoseini, K. (2011). The Effects of Whey Protein Supplementation on Performance and Hormonal Adaptations Following Resistance Training in Novice Men. Baltic Journal Of Health & Physical Activity, 3(2), 87-95.

Bernadot, Dan. (2011). Advanced sports nutrition. (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Bonci, L. (2009). Supplements: Help, Harm, or Hype? How to Approach Athletes. Current Sports Medicine Reports (American College Of Sports Medicine), 8(4), 200-205.

Huggins, S. (2010, August 26). Latest news. Retrieved from http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/Resources/Latest News/2010 news stories/August latest news/Supplements often put athletes at risk

Maughan, R., Depiesse, F., & Geyer, H. (2007). The use of dietary supplements by athletes. Journal of Sports Sciences, 25(S1), S103-S113. Retrieved from http://www.myteachersite.net/0001-HEA623/The_use_of_dietary_supplements_by_athletes.pdf

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Pros and Cons of Supplements

Post:

Pros and Cons of Supplements

Author:

 Jasmine Richmond

Posted Date:

November 2, 2012 2:52 PM

Status:

Published

Sport supplements, or ergogenic aids, are substances that can increase performance. This is a very controversial topic in the world of nutrition, mainly due to the fact that there is no regulation on the manufacturing and selling of supplements. Due to this fact no one can every be 100% sure what is in the supplements that they are ingesting.

Pros

One population that would most benefit from supplements is vegetarian or vegan athletes since they are more likely to be lacking in some critical vitamins, minerals, protein etc. Supplements should be used to supplement one’s food consumption, therefore if one’s diet is lacking in a certain area supplementation can help.

Additionally there is much research that supports the notion that certain supplements can enhance performance. There has been much research on caffeine supplementation and its effects on difference components of performance. Two studies done on a commercial caffeine drink proved that when caffeine was taken prior to exercise, there was an increase in endurance of the trunk and upper-body muscular. (Dawes, Ocker, Temple, Spaniol, Murray & Bonnette, 2011& Temple, Dawes, Ocker, Spaniol, Melrose & Murray, 2011)

Carbohydrate (CHO) is also a popular supplement due to its effect on the energy levels of athletes. (Benardot, 2012) Many athletes, especially endurance athletes, supplementing CHO is done to try to increase energy levels for last longing exercise activity. This would enable an athletes to work out for longer, and more effectively than without supplementation.

Additionally some supplements can be taken for more of a health benefit than a performance one. One example is omega-3 fatty acids, which can be useful in reducing muscle soreness, improving muscular recovery, reducing inflammation and improving oxygen delivery. (Benardot, 2012) This is especially helpful for athletes who tend to regularly use NSAIDS to treat inflammation and other muscle issues. Omega-3’s are less harmful then NSAIDS when in comes to long-term use and could lead to an athlete no longer needing NSAIDS at all.

Cons

As previously stated, since the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate supplements a person can never be positive what is in the supplements they are consuming. (Dietary Supplements- Q&A., 2012) This can potentially ruin an athlete’s career if they take a supplement that contains a banned substance for their sport. This is particularly true for NCAA athletes due to the strict, and sometimes confusing, rules on what substances are allowed. If the person consuming supplements is not well informed, then they could be buying a banned (or harmful) substance unknowingly because they have blind trust in the salesman.

Additionally, if a person consumes too much of a particular supplement there could be negative side effects. Having too much of one substance could limit the function of other substances in the body as well as other adverse effects. (Benardot, 2012) Some athletes believe that if they take higher dosages of supplements that will increase the benefit but as stated that might not be the case. If the body doesn’t need, or cannot handle, the amount of supplement consumed it will void the supplement, usually via urine.

Benardot, D. (2012). Advanced Sports Nutrition (2nd). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Dawes, J., Ocker, L. B., Temple, D. R., Spaniol, F., Murray, A. M., & Bonnette, R. (2011). Effect of a pre-exercise energy drink (Redline^®) on upper-body muscular endurance performance [Abstract]. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

Dietary Supplements- Q&A. (2012, September 4). In US Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved October 29, 2012, from http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/ConsumerInformation/ucm191930.htm#what_info

Temple, D., Dawes, J., Ocker, L., Spaniol, F., Melrose, D., & Murray, A. (2011). Effect of a pre-exercise energy drink (Redline^®) on muscular endurance of the trunk  [Abstract]. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

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Pros and Cons of Sports Supplementation

Post:

Pros and Cons of Sports Supplementation

Author:

 Justin Powell

Posted Date:

November 2, 2012 2:21 PM

Status:

Published

            Supplementation of ergogenic aids within the sports realm has been around for years and has predominately used in the last fifty years; however, sport supplementation has only become the center of research recently.  Amongst the never-ending reliable research there are both pros and cons that are presented about numerous supplements that are used by athletes. 

            In this section, I would like to present a number of pros that support the use of supplementation within sports.  The main reason that any athlete consumes any supplement is to enhance their sport performance.  “The practice of elite athletes consuming potentially performance-enhancing nutritional supplements is common (Airstone, Fagbemi, & Morris, 2005).”< span style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Within the body, nutrition and physical activity are interactive.  Besides the three main energy yielding nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) the human body needs numerous nutrients to help build lean muscle mass.  Numerous studies have been conducted on athletes to try to put a percentage on the amount of athletes that take vitamin mineral supplements.  The average amount of athletes that were found to take supplements was around fifty percent.  Athletes that make good food choices, nutrient dense foods, will be more able to fully attain the most out of their physical talents.  Athletes whose food choices are not as good may succumb to fatigue or injury due to their body’s nutrient deficiencies. Even though some athletes may have an optimal diet, their body may still be lacking the essential nutrients that it needs to efficiently operate.  For situations like this, it becomes vital to take a vitamin mineral supplementation.  An example of this could be a long distance female runner lacking iron.  Many athletes engaged in heavy endurance training often seek additional nutritional strategies to help maximize performance.  Iron can be lost several different ways including: menstruation, sweat, muscles high demand of iron, and blood loss through digestive tracts.  For this type of athlete an iron supplement would be vital to her success.  There are several supplements that are marketed not only to aid performance but also to combat the immunosuppressive effects caused by intense endurance training.  Many forms of exercise warrant inflammatory responses as well as an increase in free radicals that may lead to muscle injury.  Balanced nutrition intake or nutritional supplementation will provide important antioxidants that can assist in preventing exercise-related muscle damage. Present research provides evidence that an appropriate nutritional intake improves the antioxidant capacity of individuals and influences the activity of antioxidant enzymes that protect against the possible damaging effects of oxidative stress.  Furthermore, research has proven that specific macro and micronutrients diminish the negative physiological impact of exercising based on markers related to cell damage, inflammation and immunity.  Exercising can also cause a variety of physiological and metabolic changes that can lead to reduced exercise tolerance.  One of the most common methods of increasing training tolerance is the supplementation of amino acids.  An accumulation of metabolites such as ammonia produced by deamination from AMP to IMP and by protein metabolism during exercise may play an important role in impacting exercise tolerance.  It has been shown that the blood level of ammonia increased significantly in humans during intense dynamic exercise and can remain above the baseline level for over an hour.  Supplementation of specific amino acids, such as glutamate, reduces ammonia concentrations during and after exercise.  Due to these findings, nutritionists and coaches should take into account the nutritional intake prior, during, and after training sessions in order to enhance players’ physiological response to the stress associated with endurance exercise.

                Due to the immense amount of supplements that are available it is important for the sports nutritionist, coach, and athlete to understand the role that each of the macronutrients plays within the human body. In addition, knowledge of how many calories to consume, the macronutrient breakdown of those calories, and proper timing to maximize the benefits needed for the individual to enhance their physical performance. There are numerous amounts of supplements lacking proper knowledge, which is one of the most common cons.  Most of the studies are in fact controversial and further research is needed in order to arrive at a better understanding of how nutrition influences performance.  There are a vast amount of substances that contain ergogenic aids, however most do not.  Many times improvements are seen due to a placebo effect. This means that consumers believe that a product will help so it really only helps from their belief that it is doing something when there is not any known biological basis for the improvement.  Another problem that supplementation presents, is the amount of the supplement that should be consumed by a specific individual in order to maximally enhance their performance.  A recent study examined the dose response effects of a caffeine-containing energy drink on muscle performance.  The examiners were able to find that as the servings of ingested caffeine increased the individuals were able to better their scores/times in additional fitness tests.  However, the question then becomes is there a limit of caffeine ingested before this supplement causes a variety of adverse health effects.  Common adverse effects as a result of too much caffeine are insomnia, nervousness, headache, and tachycardia.  As stated by, Del Coso “More investigations are necessary to reveal whether the effects of caffeine-contain energy drinks on sports performance are dose-dependent.”  A known con of supplementation is the dependency of an athlete on a specific supplement.  For example, many weight lifters use a caffeinated supplement or a pre-workout supplement to acquire the needed energy to attain a suitable workout.  If this particular athlete is unable to acquire one of these they may choose to not workout or perform a half-hearted workout.  There are two categories of supplements the natural content made supplements and the synthetic supplements.  The latter of the two can be highly ineffective and dangerous; however, much of the general population does not know the risks nor that is the supplement they are taking not made of natural content.  The reasoning that a synthetic supplement can be dangerous is that it is a foreign substance to the body that must first satisfy the immune system in order to proceed.  If this does not occur the body will not accept the supplement and flush it out.  If the individual continues to take the supplement the brain will start to tell the body that there is no need for a particular supplement because the foreign supplement is taking its place.  Therefore, after the individual discontinues the supplementation of that particular supplement their body will be lacking an essential nutrient.  Globally, there are people struggling with obesity as well as those trying to gain muscle for sport.  Despite common perceptions that supplements are free of adverse effects, some supplements are associated with severe hepatotoxicity.  This can lead to an even more serious negative effect, acute liver failure. 

            Supplementation throughout sports is very common and increasing daily.  There are many benefits that are attributed to sports supplementation; however, there are also many negative effects associated with improper or lack of knowledge pertaining to supplementation.  The best advice to give to an individual considering consuming supplements is to educate themselves before they blindly consume any supplement.

References:

•&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ; Burke, L., Cort, M., Cox, G., Crawford, R., Desbrow, B., Farthing, L., Warnes, O. (2006). Supplements and sports foods. Clinical Sports Nutrition. Sydney, Australia: McGraw-Hill, 377-395.

•&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ; Gravina, L., Ruiz, F., Diaz, E., Lekue, J. A., Badiola, A., Irazusta, J., Gil, S. M. (2012). Influence of nutrient intake on antioxidant capacity, muscle damage and white blood cell count in female soccer players. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, (9)32. 

•&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ; Benardot, D (2006). Advanced Sports Nutrition. Champaign, IL; Human Kinetics, 110-112.

•&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ;&νβσπ; Del Coso, J., Salinero, J. J., González-Millán, C., Abián-Vicén, J., & Pérez-González, B. (2012). Dose response effects of a caffeine-containing energy drink on muscle performance: a repeated measures design. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9(21).

Attachment:  Pros vs Cons Practice What You Know.docx (20.646 KB)

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Supplements: Con

Post:

Supplements: Con

Author:

 Brett McQueen

Posted Date:

November 2, 2012 9:46 PM

Status:

Published

Pro Standpoint:

 As an athletic trainer I deal with a constant barrage of questions regarding sport supplementation for performance purposes. In general, I am a fan of supplementation if performed in a safe, reasonable manner or for medical necessity. From a gross nutrient standpoint, most of what athletes need comes from whole foods and dietary considerations. At the same time, many situations arise necessitating supplementation.

 For male collegiate athletes, size is an imperative component to athletic performance; especially in sports such as football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. These athletes often enjoy high calorie post-workout shakes or liquid meals for a weighty nutrient replenishment. G. Damon Wells (2009) describes in an article the importance of post-workout nutrient type and timing. He states most athletes attempting to increase mass will use a protein based drink to achieve this recovery goal. At the same time, Wells states whole food proteins such as milk, egg, or meat to be an adequate post-workout protein supplement as well.

 Wells (2009) goes on to state that regardless of ingestion mode (liquid or solid) the protein should be made of a high quality whey, egg, or casein base. In addition, there should be a mix of slow and fast reacting proteins. Post-workout proteins should also be an appropriate mix of fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals depending on the training and recovery goals of the athlete. Lastly, the supplement should be appetizing to the athlete because it will create better compliance for supplement ingestion. For example, hydrolyzed whey tends to have an extremely bitter taste.

 While post-workout weight gain supplementation is fine, medical conditions may also necessitate some sort of nutrient supplementation. Most of this is likely seen with female running athletes. According to Dr. Kathleen Pantano (2009), the female athlete triad is a real concern with a growing number of female athletes participating in sport thanks to the passing of Title IX in 1972. With this condition, bone mineral density becomes a large concern for both the short and long-term bone health of these women. Hormonal changes and low dietary intake of minerals such as calcium and iron or vitamin D can create a recipe for disaster. These patients may be medically required to supplement some of these nutrients.

 Other concerns for supplementation may be in athletes with low ferratin levels. Ferritin is an agent in the blood responsible for assisting the processing and storage of iron. Various underlying bleeding conditions can lie lurking in an athlete with low ferritin. An example of a case where an athlete may be required to supplement of ferritin, but not iron would be one who possesses Thalessemia trait; a genetic disorder known mostly to Mediterranean descendants in which blood cell production is not as well regulated and causes distention to blood pooling. Most commonly in the United States, this is seen as a minor trait and not a major health concern.

 Due to the fact that so many different conditions exist that must be supplemented for adequate and appropriate health of individuals, I believe some sort of supplementation is imperative to many of our student athletes. As shown with the weight gain example previously, supplementation can have a positive benefit, even when not a medical necessity.

•&νβσπ;Pantano, K. J. (2009). Coaching concerns in physically active girls and young women—part I: The female athlete triad. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 31(6), 38-43.

•&νβσπ;Wells, G. D. (2009). Protein puzzle: Which protein packs the most punch? Strength and Conditioning Journal, 31(1), 27-30.

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Supplements: The Good and The Bad

Post:

Supplements: The Good and The Bad

Author:

 Elizabeth Leal

Posted Date:

November 2, 2012 4:39 PM

Status:

Published

Elizabeth Leal

KINE 5306

November 2, 2012

Sports Supplements: The Good and the Bad

There is much debate as to whether athletes should or should not use various forms of sports supplements (ergogenic aids). Being that this is an era where quick fixes are a phone call or click away, one can only inform and guide athletes to make educational decisions about what supplements are deemed “safe”. I say the word (safe) very loosely in context because there really are no supplements that guarantee the safety of users, the only guaranteed safety would be if the athlete did not take supplements at all. The following discussion will point out the pros and cons of supplementation in athletes and doing so can hopefully allow readers to know why people today consider supplement ingestion to be like playing Russian roulette with their bodies.

Pros

Sports supplements can be broken down into two forms: dietary supplements and nutritional ergogenic aids. One of the differences between the two is that dietary supplements “contain nutrients in amounts similar to the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) or amounts typically found in food” while nutritional ergogenic aids “contain nutrients or other substances in amounts far exceeding the RDI or amounts typically found in food” [4]. Reasons why athletes tend to use supplements are to enhance performance and to supplement food based diets. Sometimes athletes need high energy intakes and supplements can aid in obtaining the needed fuel. For example, carbohydrates are critical for an athlete to have from the start of a training session to the end. In high intensity exercises, carbohydrates are the primary fuel used by the muscles [5]. Sports gels, drinks, and bars are some of the supplements provided to athletes. The plus side to consuming sport supplements is to sometimes reverse diagnosed nutrient deficiency. For example, iron deficiency is a common nutrient deficiency in the general population (in particular women) and “treatment includes use of a high-dose, oral, iron supplement, in conjunction with dietary modification” [4]. There have also been sports supplements that are used to achieve specific, sports-related goals. When athletes need to lose fat, gain lean mass, or strengthen the immune system, athletes may use selected supplements to help achieve these goals [4]. For example, omega-3 fatty acid is an over the counter supplement used to possibly help reduce muscle soreness. Other benefits, according to Benardot, include improved aerobic metabolism due to better delivery of oxygen and reduced inflammation of tissues resulting from muscular fatigue and overexertion, allowing for faster recovery.

Cons

According to Benardot, because many of the products sold are considered foods, nutrients, or nutrient-based products, there are few controls for government agencies to police these claims. “The passing of the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act (1994) by the US congress resulted in considerable liberation of the regulation regarding the manufacture and sale of dietary supplements.” [4] The negative effects that have occurred are the inaccurate labeling of ingredients that are actually illegal according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and International Olympic Committee(IOC). There have been recorded cases where supplements are contaminated by ingredients deemed illegal and resulting in the banning of athletes. Examples include an Italian cyclist competing for the German T-mobile team back in 2007. The cyclist tested positive for an appetite suppressant that had been banned according to IOC and was traced back to an herbal supplement that claimed to promote weight loss but did not warn to users that large amounts of sibutramine was present. [3] Contaminated supplements can also occur sporadically by various manufacturers who do not carefully follow protocols. Many manufactures supply various supplements using the same equipment and in doing so, improper cleaning can lead to cross contamination. According to Tufts university Health and Nutrition Letter, consumers should be aware of false advertisements.  Many a times so called-experts seen in commercials are either paid for endorsement or is not a specialist in the specific field stated. Examples include a joint treatment that astounded a physician who was actually an emergency-room doctor, not an orthopedist. Overall, many failed doping tests resulting from the intake of a supplement can originate from the athlete’s poor knowledge of banned substances indicated on the label, from the fact that the labeled ingredients indeed contain banned substances or that the supplement contains a banned substance not indicated or concealed on the label [1]. For example, geranium oil has been found to be listed in supplements but it is also known as methylhexaneamine, a stimulant that is prohibited in competition.

References

[1] Parr, M. K., Pokrywka, A. A., Kwiatkowska, D. D., & Schänzer, W. W. (2011). Ingestion of   

designer supplements produced positive doping cases unexpected by the athletes. Biology Of Sport, 28(3), 153-157

[2] The Bad News About Products "Too Good to Be True". (2009). Tufts University Health &

Nutrition Letter, 27(7), 4-5

[3] Maughan, R. J. (2009). Legal Ergogenic Aids?. Current Sports Medicine Reports (American   

College Of Sports Medicine), 8(4), 165-166.

[4] Baume, N., Hellemans, I., & Saugy, M. (2007). Guide to over-the-counter sports supplements

for athletes. International Sportmed Journal, 8(1), 2-10

[5] Benardot, D. (2012). Advanced sports nutrition. (2nd ed.). Versa Press.

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Sport Supplementation: Pro's & Con's

Post:

Sport Supplementation: Pro's & Con's

Author:

 Jessica Korda

Posted Date:

November 2, 2012 8:53 PM

Status:

Published

Pro’s and Con’s of Sport Supplementation

The discussion of whether or not athletes should use various forms of supplementation is a major topic. Many sport supplements will increase your athletic performance, which is what every athlete wants. The importance of athletes performance enhancement in competitive sports and records in worldwide competitions, has forced athletes to consume supplementation to prepare for the future competitions. The debate is whether they are safe, and if you really need to take a supplement to make you that much better. There are pro’s and con’s to each side of the argument.

 One of the most popular supplements to take among people is creatine. Creatine has been sown to increase strength, fat free mass, and muscle morphology. In one study creatine showed its greatest improvement when performing a heavy resistance-training program. It also showed benefits and improvements in high intensity sprints. Creatine has been said to increase performance and promote greater training adaptations. This is due to the face that creatine supplements increase the creatine storage and will promote a faster regeneration of adenosine triphosphate between high intensity exercises. The relationship between muscle creatine uptake and exercise performance is a positive. There is a significant increase in strength performance from twelve weeks of an oral dose of creatine, while performing heavy resistance training exercises. The creatine supplemented helped the athletes maintain a higher training intensity, while improving their workouts.

 Creatine has been said to enhance the effects of resistance training for improving strength and hypertrophy, while it improves the quality of high intensity speed training. In other studies it has been said to help improve neurological function in young and older people, along with daily living performance. Another study was performed on the effects of plyometric exercise combined with a creatine supplementation on athletes. The results state that the there was an improvement in performance after the creatine supplementation. Creatine supplementation is effective for athletes whose purpose is to increase speed and power.

 Along with regular athletes using supplementation to enhance performance, it is very beneficial for a vegetarian or vegan athlete to take supplements. They will not be receiving the proper nutrients, proteins, minerals, and vitamins for the foods that they are ingesting. It is important for them to make sure they take the right supplements, this way they can increase their athletic performance and also stay healthy, and not have any deficiencies. It is important that not just vegans and vegetarians take nutritional supplements, but that also individuals who may be lacking certain minerals and vitamins. Therefore they can stay healthy and not worry about getting sick or having vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

 As well as there are many advantages to taking supplements there are also many disadvantages. It is important to ingest the right dosage of supplements. The amount of creatine ingested should never exceed the recommended doses. There can be harmful side effects, from ingesting more than the recommendations. Especially if athletes are trying to gain more strength or improve their performance, they might think taking more will help them gain improvements quicker. In the long run this will hurt them and harm their body. It is important for the athlete to consult in a nutritionist before the buy or ingest in sport enhancing supplements.

Certain athletes will not need to take a supplement such as creatine either. Such as an endurance runner, creatine will help the endurance runner gain muscle mass and gain weight. This can cause the runner to have a decrease in their performance. In another study, it showed that the effects of creatine diminish as the length of time spent exercising increases. Even though ingesting creatine as an oral supplement safety is not always guaranteed. There still needs to be more research focused on administering creatine for a long period of time to different populations, such as athletes, sedentary lifestyles, patients, young, and elderly people. In another study, they measured the short and long-term effects of creatine supplementation on exercise induced muscle damage. In this study the short-term creatine supplementation did not appear to have an effect of exercise induced muscle damage. While the thirty day experiment did have a positive impact on the exercise induced muscle damage when the muscles were subjected to isometric force development. Muscle damage can lead to impairments in performance. Which can cause structural changes in muscles.

 Athletes have to be careful when ingesting supplements, especially if they are collegiate or professional athletes. If an athlete tests positive for a banned supplement they can be banned or suspended for a long duration of time. Especially if you are a collegiate athlete, you could lose your eligibility for up to a year. Which is detrimental when you only have four years of playing eligibility for your sport. Professional athletes and Olympians have the risk of losing their individual accolades they have won, or even having their names erased from the record books. It is important to make sure you are not ingesting banned supplements; they can ruin your whole collegiate or professional career.

 In general I would only recommend taking a nutritional supplement, especially if you are lacking certain vitamins and minerals. If an athlete is going to take supplements, it is best if they consult with a nutritionist on the proper supplements to take, and the proper dosage. It is also important to make sure they are not taking banned supplements. There is a certain time for supplements, but I feel that you should be able to improve your athletic performance with out taking the performance enhancing supplements.

Citation:

Cooper, R., Naclerio, F., Allgrove, J., Jimenez, A. (2012). Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports  performance: an update. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9:33.

Francaux, M., Poortmans, J. (2006). Side Effects of Creatine Supplementation in Athletes. International Journal of Sports  Physiology and Performance. 311- 323.

Hosseini, S., Rostamkhany, H., Panahi, M. (2011). Effects of Plyometric Training and  Creatine Supplementation on Some of  Fitness Factors in Athletes. Annals of  Biological Research. 274-281.

Rosene, J., Matthews, T., Ryan, C., Belmore, K., Bergsten, A., Blaisdell, J., Gaylord, J., Love, R., Marrone, M. (2009). Short  and long-term effects of creatine supplementation on exercise induced muscle damage. Journal of Sports Science and  Medicine. 89-96. 

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Pro-Con Supplementation

Post:

Pro-Con Supplementation

Author:

 Lindsey Hough

Posted Date:

November 16, 2012 3:04 PM

Status:

Published

Dietary and sport supplementation has become highly accessible to athletes of any kind; meanwhile, the influx of types of supplementation and the vulnerability to pressures from media and the prospect of playing at high levels has left athletes swimming in a sea of hundreds of thousands of products, eager to try, yet relatively uninformed about the benefits and pitfalls of sports supplementation. Listed below are several arguments for and against the use of sports supplements:

Pros

Some supplements have been shown to have a direct performance-enhancing (ergogenic) effect. Creatine, for example, has been shown to enhance high-intensity, intermittent work by extending one’s capacity to maintain a specific level of high work.

A second point is that supplements can be successfully used to meet nutrition goals and demands, and allow for optimal performances as an indirect result by correction of deficiencies. Female endurance athletes, for example, have been shown to  benefit from taking supplemental iron because of natural losses that are escalated by hard training, menstruation, and low intake of iron-rich red meat.

Finally, the placebo effect is a common argument for the use of supplements; even if sports supplements don’t produce a true physiological or ergogenic benefit, an athlete may attain a performance enhancement due to a psychological boost. Placebos given are often harmless and inactive, but satisfy the athlete’s need to receive some sort of therapy or intervention. In a study by Clark et al. (2000), cyclists were given either a sports drink or sweetened placebo during a 1-hour time trial and found that performance was affected by the information provided to the subjects.

Cons

Supplements can be expensive. Sports supplementation can get pricey, especially for mid-range athletes who are on small budgets because supplements or sports food is generally at a higher cost than everyday foods. 

Additionally, side effects can be negative. Cases of toxicity, allergic reactions, overexposure, and poisoning have been documented regarding sports supplementation. Recently, Monster Energy Drinks, often used as a caffeinated energy stimulant, was linked to five deaths due to caffeine toxicity. For young athletes or those on a tighter budget, this can be a real concern as caffeinated energy drinks are readily available and easy to access.

There are a number of prohibited substances on the sports scene, including pro-hormones and stimulants such as ephedrine, which has lead to an intake and consumption of banned substances that takes place behind closed doors, hence doping. This is a concern for serious athletes who compete in high level competitions because many world codes place liability on the athlete, and penalties can be severe. Meanwhile, for serious contenders who do not dope, the underground doping mechanisms make it much more difficult to contend on a world stage.

Another more subtle negative of sports supplementation is the displacement of real priorities for an athlete, who wind up losing focus on sports performance as a product of superior genetics, long-term training, nutrition, sleep and recovery, etc., and not as a result of sports supplements. Athletes can sometimes become side-tracked by success and get caught up in supplementation, failing to address or spend energy on some of the basic components of good training and a positive lifestyle. 

Finally, the effects of supplements on growth and development of young athletes is still largely unclear. This can be a major negative to supplementation because as of right now, many supplements are unregulated and easily accessible, while their longterm effects remain to be seen.

Baume, N., Hellemans, I.,& Saugy, M. (2007). Guide to over-the-counter sports supplements for athletes. International SportsMed Journal, 8, 2-10. 

Burke, L., Broad, E., Cox, G., Desbrow, B., Dziedzic, C., Gurr, S., . . . Slater, G. (2010). Supplements and sports foods. Clinical Sports Nutrition, 4, 419-500.

Clark, V.R., Hopkins, W.G., Hawley, J.A., Burke, L.M. (2000). Placebo effect of carbohydrate feedings during a 40-km cycling time trial. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 32(9), 1642-1647.

McDowall, J.A. (2007). Supplement use by young athletes. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 6, 337-342.

Prevost, M.C., Nelson, A.G., & Morris, G.S. (1997). Creatine supplementation enhances intermittent work performance. Research Quarterly for Exercise & Sport, 68(3), 233-240.

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Pros and Cons

Post:

Pros and Cons

Author:

 Chelsea Hillis

Posted Date:

October 25, 2012 5:54 PM

Status:

Published

In this practice what you know you will provide a "pro" vs "con" debate regarding the use of sports supplements. You should provide a minimum of 500 and  maximum of 750 words for each side of this debate.  You will also be required to use a minimum of 4 references (2 per side) to justify each stance.

Pros

Dietary supplements are used by at least 40% of athletes, and depending on the sport, up to 100% (Baume, 2007). There are all kinds of things that can be considered supplements, everything from a Gatorade to simple multivitamin to steroids. There are several pros to taking in some form a supplementation. The most obvious pro is that the performance of an athlete is enhanced. Such as with caffeine, there is goodevidence that caffeine can improve single-sprint performance, while caffeine, creatine and sodium bicarbonate ingestion have all been demonstrated to improve multiple-sprint performance (Bishop, 2010).Every athlete wants to be the biggest, fastest and ultimately the best. In the world that we live in today this is not really achievable at an elite level with just natural genetics, proper nutrition and a good workout regiment. Some kind of supplement has to be added in order to reach the highest levels. The majority of dietary supplement consumers strongly believe that these products are key components in the promotion of training adaptations by facilitating a better recovery between training sessions, reducing illness and injury risk, and enhancing competitive performance (Baume, 2007).  Supplements have helped many athletes to achieve weights and speeds that humans never even knew where possible. Also, supplements help many people who genetically are not the size that they want/need to be in order to play a certain sport, so supplements help to fill in the gaps and sometimes help the athlete to get where they need to be. This opens up the sports field to individuals who might not have otherwise been involved in that sport, just do to their genetics. Often times athletes have very specific sports related goals such as weight loss, gaining mass or strengthening their immune system, these can all be attained with the help of supplements (Baume, 2007). Athletes also intake supplements to help them reach specific exercise related nutrition requirements. Especially in high intensity sport, things like Gatorade, different types of gels and bars are taken in to help the athlete recover and to rehydrate them after a performance (Baume, 2007). Sports drinks are a huge industry and many people drink them not just athletes, many people (including myself) don’t really think of sports drinks as supplements, but they are. That is where researchers and nutritionist/dietitians are coming in the help fill in the blanks for those who don’t really know what all falls under the title of supplements. Athletes often experience different types of deficiencies. When this occurs not only a dietary change is implemented, but also supplements are put into their diet, such as iron for an iron deficiency. Another pro to proper supplements is that they are FDA approved as safe to take. So there are supplements out there (a lot) that have been studied and approved for safe use, you just have to make sure that they are the right ones. When taken properly and with the proper education supplements can be very good, helping individuals to reach amazingly high athletic performances that they might not have been able to reach on their own.

Cons

 There are always cons to the pros, there are also a few cons of athletes taking supplements. Not only what they can do to an athlete’s body, if they are not the correct supplements, but also within the educational and marketing side of things. One is the fact that some athletes believe that the supplement is enough and they don’t need to intake anything else. Athletes need to be reminded that a vitamin is not a replacement for breakfast, and that vitamin supplements will not make up for a poor diet. (Bonci, 2009). This is more harmful then it is helpful, they are called “supplements” because they are made to be added onto the normal diet that an athlete has, not to become the diet. Also, over supplementing is an issue among athletes. Such as with Protein Powder, Athletes need to understand that there is an upper limit for protein, or the maximum usable amount of protein, which is 1 g-lb body weight -1 d -1 (Bonci, 2009). In other words it is possible for an athlete to intake so much of something that the body isn’t able to use it. We want to optimize a supplement not to overdo it. Aggressive marketing has led millions of recreational and elite athletes to use nutrition supplements in hopes of improving performance. Unfortunately, these aids can be costly and potentially harmful, and the advertised ergogenic gains are often based on little or no scientific evidence (Molinero, 2009). Not being educated is a huge issue in the supplement world. There are so many companies out there such as GNC, who do not have employees that know what they are selling. The companies are there to sell supplements and make money, they are willing to sell anything to a customer just to make a buck, and the customer doesn’t even know that what they are buying can in fact be harmful to them, they just buy it because the bottle looks pretty or the information they were given sounds good even though it is false. This leads us into the education of the athlete. Oftentimes athletes just play the game and do what the trainers tell them. They don’t understand why they are doing what they are doing. It is essential for us to educate our athletes on the supplements that are offered, which one do and don’t work, as well as the stuff out there sold at places like GNC that are nothing but a pretty bottle. Even if the athlete themselves doesn’t learn about all the different things out there (it is a lot), they should consult someone who does such as a nutritionist or dietician. This way they are not only getting the correct information, but the can get a regiment that is made just for them and their needs. Perhaps, even though there are some supplements that are good as a whole they are bad. There is something to be said for a naturally good athlete. By eating the proper foods (not manmade pills, things that come from plants, ect.) that are needed and the correct workout regiment an individual can become a great athlete. To me supplements have a bad connotation, they help you transform into something that you are not naturally and as stated before, I think there is something special about being completely natural.

Sources

1. Bonci, L. (2009). Supplements: Help, Harm, or Hype? How to Approach Athletes. Current Sports Medicine Reports (American College Of Sports Medicine), 8(4), 200-205.

2. Molinero, O. O., & Márquez, S. S. (2009). Use of nutritional supplements in sports: risks, knowledge, and behavioural-related factors. Nutricion Hospitalaria, 24(2), 128-134.

3. Bishop, D. (2010). Dietary Supplements and Team-Sport Performance. Sports Medicine, 40(12), 995-1017.

4. Baume, N., Hellemans, I., & Saugy, M. (2007). Guide to over-the-counter sports supplements for athletes. International Sportmed Journal, 8(1), 2-10.

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Thread:

Sport Supplements: Pros & Cons

Post:

Sport Supplements: Pros & Cons

Author:

 Benjamin Hicks

Posted Date:

November 2, 2012 8:20 PM

Status:

Published

    Sport supplements are so widely known throughout the United States that they are not only a health issue in sports, but also an overall health issue for the general population. Consumers must be more educated on the supplements they are ingesting because they are putting themselves at risk of severe health risks. Athletes at all levels of competition are being pressured or influenced to take supplements and many of these supplements can be harmful if proper education and research is not done first. There are some advantages and disadvantages to taking supplements.

            Many sport supplements come with disadvantages. More often than not, supplements are more detrimental to the consumer’s performance and health. Research has shown very little statistical advantages to the consumption of supplements. The statistical advantages that some supplements have shown can also be met by consuming a well balanced diet. When the consumer is meeting their nutritional needs through a well balanced diet, they are more knowledgeable about what nutrients and substances they are ingesting. When the consumer is using supplements to make up for a disproportional diet or for trying to improve their overall performance, they increase the risk of ingesting something foreign to their body. This can cause many health problems such as, liver failure, kidney failure, stroke, or cardiovascular disease. (3) Many of these problems occur from supplements because of the poor approval process that supplement companies and manufacturers need to market and distribute their product. This is a problem because the companies do not always display what is in their supplement and they do not have to make the FDA or public aware of any adverse affects from their product. (2) Also, these same companies and manufacturers do not have to make the FDA or consumer aware about the safety or show any evidence to support the claim they make with their products. (1) This goes to show that supplement companies can be extremely misleading and hide information from the consumer. If the consumer asked them self, “Would I take and consume something foreign that somebody gave me, if they could not or would not tell me what all it was intend to do?”, then the consumer can begin to see how misleading and false supplements can be. Consuming a supplement that has very little research to support the intended use can be very dangerous. When a supplement has not been tested, contraindications, side effects and symptoms are not known about the particular supplement. These are important factors to be aware of as a consumer because there could be a particular substance in the supplement that could cause the consumer to have an allergic reaction or other health problems. Assumptions are made to frequently by consumers about official supplement stores and the products sold there. These stores such as, GNC, may look professional and sell FDA approved supplements, but this does not always mean the supplements sold there are safe or healthy to consume. An FDA approved supplement, does not necessarily mean the supplement does what it is intended to do, or that it is safe for everyone to consume. Supplements are too risky to consume for any person and should be avoided if possible. With an athlete pushing their body to the limit in their specific sport or activity, the last thing that their body needs is a supplement adding more stress and undue harm.

A time that may warrant the need of a supplement is when a person does not have the capability or struggles to get enough of a particular nutrient in their diet. An example of someone like this would be a vegetarian or a vegan. Although these diets do not always have the easiest way of consuming enough nutrients, it is still possible to get the proper amount of nutrients with a well planned and disciplined diet.  

            Although many disadvantages come from supplements, there are some advantages. The advantages found with supplements are not as common as portrayed by the supplement companies. As a consumer you should always be aware of what you are consuming. Supplements do not go through rigorous testing before they are allowed on the market so the rigorous research and self education is needed by the consumer. If an athlete is going to use a particular supplement, they should be aware of the research that has been done to support that supplement. If the consumer knows of a specific supplement that has been tested and approved by an organization or company that is not associated with that particular supplement company, then that supplement can be looked at as more credible. If supplementation is taken, then it is advised to take supplements that have gone through rigorous testing and approval from companies that are not associated to the supplement company.

            Supplements such as protein have been shown in research to help build muscle mass. (4) This does not mean that all supplement companies that sell protein have a credible and reliable product. Even though research has shown that protein supplements help build muscle, this same research explains that a well balanced diet can also allow muscle mass to increase. (4) Most of the research that has been conducted shows very little statistical significant data that shows protein supplementation provides a more optimal approach than just ingesting a enough protein through a person’s daily diet. The advantage to consuming a protein supplement is the assurance that the athlete is ingesting enough protein to help build muscle. In my opinion, if someone is only using a protein supplement to assure they are consuming the correct amount of protein, then it is an illegitimate reason and the athlete is being lazy. Athlete’s should always be aware of their diet and should become more and more disciplined in maintaining a healthy and well balanced diet, the higher skill level they achieve with their particular sport or activity.  

            Another supplement that is very common among athletes is a vitamin or mineral. These supplements have been shown to have some adverse affects but they are also not needed if the athlete is consuming a well balanced diet. (5) These adverse affects were not shown to be statistically significant and did not show much difference versus getting the vitamins through daily food sources. When consuming supplements such as vitamins and mineral, many things must be taken in consideration. Companies can state on the label that everything in the capsule or tablet is all natural. Do not assume that just because something is natural that it is okay in concentrated forms. (3) These statements are commonly found on vitamin and mineral supplements.

            Supplements have shown adverse affects with athletes but very few of them show statistically significant data to support this conclusion. The results of all safe supplements can be met through a well balanced diet. As an athletic trainer I would only consider allowing a patient to use a supplement if I knew they were having a difficult time consuming the correct amount of nutrients or if they were allergic to a certain type of food and the only way to fulfill this need was through a supplement. If I were to ever recommend a supplement, I would have to research a number of resources to make sure my patient is consuming a safe product.

            Overall, I do not think it is wise to ever consume supplements unless there is an absolute need. The cost of supplements is much higher than the cost of quality foods that can fulfill the nutritional needs of an athlete. As of now the supplement world is too dangerous and risky. Until more strict rules and regulations are put in place, I do not think it is even worth considering the option of taking supplements.

Sources:

1. http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/ConsumerInformation/ucm191930.htm#what_info

2. http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/Resources/Latest+News/2010+news+stories/August+latest+news/Resources+available+to+navigate+supplement+field

3. http://www.usada.org/supplement411/reduce-the-risk/make-a-decision

4. Hoffman, J.R., Ratamess, N.A., Tranchina, C.P., Rashti, S.L., Kang, J., & Faigenbaum, A.D. (2009). Effect of Protein-Supplement Timing on Strength, Power, and Body-Composition Changes in Resistance-Trained Men. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 19, 172-185.

5. Knez, W.L., Peake, J.M. (2010). The Prevalence of Vitamin Supplementation in Ultraendurance Triathletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 20, 507-514.

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Thread:

Pros and Cons

Post:

Pros and Cons

Author:

 Timothy Gabriel

Posted Date:

October 30, 2012 3:52 PM

Status:

Published

 

Pros

 

 There have been many studies that have looked at the efficacy of the use of protein and creatine as ergogenic aids. This is important due to the fact that these are probably two of the most widely used supplements on the market, in part because they have been on the market for quite a while.

 

 Supplementation with creatine has been in practice for many years and has shown to have good results on power production but there have been no apparent improvements during endurance activities. In the body phosphocreatine (PCr) is used in conjunction with creatine kinase during the first 5-15 seconds of intense exercise to create ATP. By supplementation with creatine the athlete is saturating his/her muscles with creatine and this means there is more to be used to produce ATP. To achieve this saturation a loading phase is conducted for a week and then a dosage to maintain saturation is used. In studies it has shown that supplementation with 5 g of creatine 4 times a day will raise creatine levels 10-15 percent above normal baseline levels (L. P. Andy Andres, 1999)   It should be understood though that this will not help an athlete create more force but instead delay fatigue and increase recovery so that in future training bouts the athlete will be able to perform more work (Flanagan, 2007). Being able to perform more work will help an athlete make more and more gains if the program is designed accordingly. These gains will then correspond to increased performance in the sport or activity they are participating in. The fact that there have been a great deal of studies that involved creatine and its safety has helped it to become as popular as it is.  

 

 Protein, like creatine, is another supplement that has been used for a long time and is also a safe product to be used. Reports from history that have shown people that eat higher amounts of protein has helped increase lean body mass and increased performance. Now days there are so many different types of protein on the market that can be chosen. Also, there are many people that say that adequate protein needs can be met by a well-balanced diet that meets energy demands. Eating a well-balanced diet is the ideal way to meat protein requirements for the body but there are still those times that the timing of ingestion can play a critical role in protein synthesis for the body. For these times cooking a full meal is not as practical as drinking a shake. Another research study showing that protein supplementation might cause a more anabolic state then regular food protein sources (Wilson, 2006). In the study there were many reasons to why this might have been the case. From calories in the supplement compared to the meal, the type of protein in the meal compared to the supplement and others reasons. Many of these differences can be taken into account but something that should be considered is the amount of protein that athletes require. Because of the activity that they participate in they may require higher amounts of protein then that of a sedentary individual.

 

Cons

 

 Since creatine is supposed to help with increasing power production and recovery most manufacturers add other ingredients that are supposed to help increase the effects of creatine or have added effects of their own to increase performance. Sometimes these ingredients that are added are not safe or could be something that is on a banned substance list. Since dietary supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) until after they are put on the shelf and then sometimes only after there has been an adverse reaction to the product (Administration, 2012). Because this is the case many products can have a great deal of ingredients that are not supposed to be in them. As stated on the FDA web site that it is recommended that a doctor should be consulted before taking any type of supplement. Also, if there are any questions about an ingredient a person can/should contact the manufacturer directly to obtain information about the ingredient. It is important to know what is in the supplement that is being taken because an ingredient could have horrible side effects on a person’s health or have an illegal substance that could cause an athlete serious problems.

 

 As talked about above with creatine the same thing can be said about the ingredients in some of the protein supplements on the market. Although this will not be the main focus for this con it should still be considered when looking to take a protein supplement. Another thing that people should consider before taking a protein supplement is the person meeting their required amount of protein in their diet through normal food ingestion. If this is not or even if it is the case then they may be not helping themself by taking this supplement. If they are taking too much protein then this probably means they are not getting enough of another macronutrient. This then causes issues in other areas, such as not having enough carbohydrates to maintain energy levels and therefor being a limiting factor in performance. During a study on high protein ingestion with Korean elite bodybuilders it was found that they had a higher rate of urine excretion due to the higher amounts of protein (Hyerang Kim, 2011). Also, the levels of urea nitrogen and creatinine excreted in urine were higher due to the high protein consumption. This leads to the conclusion that higher amounts of protein consumption could have an adverse effect on hydration levels which can then cause a person/athlete to become dehydrated and limit performance. Hydration is sometimes over looked as an important part of optimal performance and if a person is excreting more then it could lead the person to think they are at an optimal level of hydration. This can be quite the opposite and cause serious health implications. That is why it is important for a person to make sure they are meeting the recommended amount of nutrients required through normal food means before looking at supplementing with protein supplements.

  

Bibliography

  

Administration, U. F. (2012, 09 04). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: https://bb9.tamucc.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tabGroup=courses&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fcontent%2FcontentWrapper.jsp%3Fcontent_id%3D_488201_1%26displayName%3DLinked%2BFile%26course_id%3D_12550_1%26navItem%3Dcontent%26attachment%3Dtrue%26href%3Dh

 

Flanagan, E. P. (2007). Creatine Supplementation:Implications for Competitive Weightlifting. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 60-66.

 

Hyerang Kim, S. L. (2011). Metabolic responses to high protein diet in Korean elite bodybuilders with high-intensity resistance exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 1-6.

 

L. P. Andy Andres, J. S. (1999). A Review of Creatine Supplementation: Side Effects and Improvements in Athletic Performance. Nutrition in Clinical Care, 73-81.

 

Wilson, J. W. (2006). Contemporary Issues in Protein Requirements and Consumption for Resistance Trained Athletes. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 7-27.

 

  

                  

 

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Thread:

Pros and Cons of Sport Supplements

Post:

Pros and Cons of Sport Supplements

Author:

 Sheena Forero

Posted Date:

November 2, 2012 5:44 PM

Status:

Published

Sport supplements are a popular topic right now in regards to whether they provide improvement in performance or not. Some common sport supplements utilized by athletes are creatine, caffeine, glutamine, etc. When dealing with the health and performance of athletes we must consider the positive and negative effects these supplements play on the body.

 One supplement, such as creatine has been discovered to demonstrate benefits to athletic performance and physique. Creatine is produced endogenously at an amount of 1g/d and is predominantly found in the diet from meats. Currently creatine is used and researched to investigate various pathologies and disorders, such as, myopathies and is used as an ergogenic aid to improve performance in athletes. In a study done by Arazi et al., they found that creatine supplementation improved muscular cross-sectional area, body weight, jumping ability, agility, sprint speed, and enhanced muscular strength (2011). In addition, Volek et al. also found a significant increase in strength performance after 12 weeks creatine supplementation with a concurrent periodized heavy resistance training protocol. The creatine supplementation protocol consisted of a week long loading period of 25 g/d followed by a 5 g maintenance dose for the remainder of the training. These positive effects were attributed to an increased total creatine pool resulting in more rapid adenosine triphosphate (ATP) regeneration between resistance training sets allowing athletes to maintain a higher training intensity and improve the quality of the workouts along the entire training period (2012).  In addition to creatine, caffeine is another supplement that is a central nervous system stimulant and a muscle relaxant, which has recently been removed from the International Olympic Committee’s banned substance list. When looking at caffeine the text, Advanced Sports Nutrition, states that according to research caffeine consumed at doses between 3 to 9 milligrams per kilogram or a total of approximately 250 milligrams appears to aid performance in long-endurance activity and may also improve performance in more intense short duration exercise. Lastly, carbohydrate-protein gel supplements are commonly used among endurance athletes to aid in energy storage usage and to avoid the feeling of “hitting the wall”. From personal experience running half marathons, my coach often encouraged me to intake either some type of carbohydrate-protein beverage or gel on the running course; however, even though I consumed these products I knew little about the research of whether they actually provide a benefit for athletic performance. In a study by Seifert et al., they found that when administering a carbohydrate-protein gel versus a liquid placebo, alpine skiers had significantly fewer DNF’s (Did Not Finish) on both days of testing, completed a greater number of training gates on Day 2, and had a lower RPE on Day 2 versus the placebo group. Therefore, this study supports that there is positive side effects that enhance athletic performance when consuming carbohydrate-protein gels. Ultimately, there are many supplements on the market right now being advertised to administer some type of benefit to athletes or individuals participating in regular exercise. These three supplements previously mentioned are examples that demonstrate the positive effects of consuming sports supplements to improve athletic performance in athletes. 

 After seeing how some supplements can have beneficial effects on sports performance, we must also look at the negative side. Even though we previously stated that caffeine has a beneficial effect, Benardot, presents the statement that since humans adapt to caffeine intake, frequent and regular consumption results in a reduced does effect. Therefore to put simply, the more you consume the more you need to consume in order to achieve the same ergogenic effect (which could lead to overconsumption). When consuming large amounts of caffeine some negative effects are irritability, insomnia, diarrhea, anxiety, and diuresis that could lead to a state of dehydration. These negative side effects not only affect a person’s overall health but also could play a role in sports performance. In addition, now lets take a look into the use of blood doping or the use of EPO. First off, the key oxygen-carrying component in blood is hemoglobin (Hb) contained within red blood cells (RBCs), which collects oxygen in the lungs and transports it to the tissues. The availability of oxygen at the site of exercising muscles plays a critical role in athletic performance, and agents that enhance oxygen delivery to tissues increase aerobic power. Therefore, we can now see why coaches and athletes were eager to abuse rhEPO (clone of EPO gene) because it increases the O₂ supply to the muscles and boosts performance in endurance sports such as skiing, running, and cycling. Aside from the benefits of blood doping, Nikolopoulo et al., found that Erythropoietin excessive use is associated with well established hazardous adverse side effects from polycythemia, including headaches, hypertension, congestive heart failure, and hyperviscosity that can lead to encephalopathy, stroke, seizures, and tissue hypoxia, and generally to an increased rate of thrombotic events (2010). Now going away from specific supplements, overall a negative aspect of consuming supplements is the fact that there is no governing body that regulates whether the claims of manufacturing companies are true or whether these products can cause harm. We must simply walk into a store pick up a bottle, read its’ claims of improving performance or weight loss, ask questions to a consultant, and walk away gambling if the words on the bottle and the words of the consultant are actually true. Chiefly, the examples of negative effects that caffeine and blood doping play demonstrate why it is not safe or recommended to consume sports supplements.

 Overall, we discussed a few examples of supplements on the market that provide benefits in athletic performance, however, when contemplating the use of sports supplements it is recommended that an individual look at the pros and cons of using these supplements. 

References

 Benardot, D. (2012). Advanced sports nutrition. (Second ed.). Human Kinetics.

 Nikolopoulos, D. D., Spiliopoulou, C., & Theocharis, S. E. (2011). Doping and musculoskeletal system: short-term and long-lasting effects of doping agents. Fundamental and Clinical Pharmacology, 25, 535-563.

 Seifert, J. G., Kipp, R. W., & Bacharach, D. W. (2012). The effects of a carbohydrate-protein gel supplement on alpine slalom ski performance. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 11, 537-541.

Arazi, H., Rahmaninia, F., Hoseini, K., & Asadi, A. (2011). Effects of three, five, and seven days of creatine loading on muscle volume and functional performance. Serbian Journal of Sports Sciences, 5(3), 99-105.

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Thread:

To Supplement or Not to Supplement???

Post:

To Supplement or Not to Supplement???

Author:

 Garrett Fletcher

Posted Date:

October 29, 2012 5:38 PM

Status:

Published

 In my opinion, I do not think athletes should use supplementation if they would just simply eat right! However, modern day issues and lifestyles make it pretty obvious that athletes, as well as regular joe's, do not eat efficiently or sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals. (i.e. look at obesity rate in Corpus Christi). In the end, without breaking every article and my own personal experiences down in a 10 page paper, I would recommend supplementation for athletes diagnosed with deficiencies, vegetarian athletes depending on the sport and assessment from a dietician, athletes utilizing rapid weight loss methods and athletes trying to increase muscle mass. Furthermore, as mentioned in the USADA and FDA websites, I agree that each supplement should be researched before going out and spending money on it. Athletes can probably be saving money by buying the foods needed daily to reach their goals instead of buying supplements. I personally go out of my way to do research on new supplements my athletes come to me for an opinion on, and I do my best to make sure they are aware of the health risks and drug test risks. However, our country has a mind set of "conveniency", which means supplementing is going to happen whether we like it or not. Moreover, even with the knowledge instilled in people, we can lead a horse to water but we can't make it drink. As the future leaders in our industry we should do what we can to influence safer decision making regarding eating behaviors and supplementation.

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Thread:

To take or not to take?

Post:

To take or not to take?

Author:

 Dara Dalton

Posted Date:

October 25, 2012 7:49 AM

Status:

Published

Sport supplements are scientifically recognized as “ergogenic aids.” Ergogenic aid refers to any substance with the potential to augment the capacity for work by reducing or eradicating exhaustion. A nutritional ergogenic aid refers to a substance that can improve performance in the form of either nutrient, metabolic by-products of nutrients, extract of plant, or matter institute in foods, such as caffeine, and supplied in a more condensed quantity than generally found in a natural food source (1).  Sport supplements are deemed as dietary supplements or nutritional supplements. According to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), a dietary supplement is an orally ingested product that includes ingredients consisting of vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, enzymes, tissues, glandulars, concentrate, constituent, or metabolite. These supplements will be found in the form of a tablet, softgel, capsule, gelcap, powder, liquid, or bar (2). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is accountable for defending public health by confirming the safety of drugs and natural food supply (5). The DSHEA acknowledges organizations are responsible for determining manufactured and distributed dietary supplements are harmless and all claims regarding products are not false or ambiguous. Consequently, the FDA does not entail approval before the product is marketed to consumers. On the other hand, the FDA is in charge of removal if a product is found to be perilous after it has entered the market.

Athletes are leading sport supplement consumers and routinely ingest these aids due to influential claims in relation to improvements in athletic performance. Many athletes believe optimal performance depends on the intake of dietary supplements and therefore these aids are required in order to compete at the greatest of their abilities. While supplements appear to be the “ secret ingredient” to athletic success and optimal performance, several investigations have found sport supplements as weak performance enhancers; indicating the aid does not offer stimulus on augmentations in performance through increases in power, endurance, strength, speed, or skill. Rather, most performance improvement situations often occur owing to a placebo effect in which the consumer considers the supplement will assist therefore it does regardless of scientific foundation for improvement. Based off a list of commonly ingested substances in the athletic population (1), twenty-two of the thirty-three summarized nutritional ergogenic aids currently show no advantage to performance enhancement while the remaining substances provide mixed results, slight advantage, limited benefit, or clear assistance. Caffeine and carbohydrates provide absolute benefit to performance enhancement yet with mild side effects. Although some aids provide improvements in performance, most athletes are oblivious to the relationship between ingesting dietary supplements and positive anti-doping tests as well as potentially dangerous health risks. Anti-doping tests are generally administered by The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), two associations involved with the Olympic Games. The intention of these examinations are to “preserve the value and integrity of athletic competition through initiatives that prevent, deter, and detect violations of true sport – where all athletes compete in a doping-free sporting environment” (6, 7). All ingredients included in a supplement must be listed on the nutritional label – this consists of additional elements that are not regarded as supplemental such as additives and stabilizers (2, 4). In spite of this, obscurity develops due to the disparity in regulation placed on dietary supplements. Unlike medications, which are clearly listed as prohibited or not by the USADA and are wholly known as to what substances are contained, it is not possible for one to have full knowledge of what substances are included in a dietary supplement. Many studies have shown that as many as twenty-five percent of supplemental products on the market are laced with prohibited substances (1). This is where athletes involved in a sport supplement regimen unintentionally confront risk of either testing positive for a prohibited substance and/or is vulnerable to dangerous health issues. With this established reality, there is no accessible list of sport supplements that are considered anodyne for ingestion. From a protesting standpoint, the intake of sport supplements should be prohibited in the use of athletes due to the uncertainty of consequences from participating in a supplemental regimen. The repeated scientific proof that most supplements will not provide augmentation in performance levels is adequate enough for prohibiting the use of these “aids.” As for the supplements that typically provide improvements, these aids cannot be fully trusted as safe to ingest due to the possibility of unknown and probably banned contained substance(s) as well as a potentially dangerous individual response to side effects. For instance, studies on carbohydrate supplements have shown ingesting this nutrient provides a benefit with performance through lowering levels of fatigue. Since carbohydrates are the primary source of fuel during physical activity it is important for an athlete to have enough stores of carbohydrate for use before depletion as exhausted stores typically result in performance reduction. Carbohydrate-loading is a technique typically used by endurance athletes to increase the maximum amount of carbohydrate stores within the tissues and to provide performance enhancement. While this method may be useful, side effects of excess carbohydrate in the body is muscle stiffness, potential weight gain, and increases in triglyceride and blood glucose levels. Elevated blood glucose levels have been linked to cardiovascular disease and kidney dysfunction (8). As a general rule of thumb, the nutritive value of natural, whole-food sources do not and will never compare to supplemental nutritional products (6).

In opposing situations, improvements in performance will occur because the supplement provides a missing chemical from the diet therefore the aid is making up for a nutrient deficiency. It is a proven fact that consuming a diet of varied natural food sources such as grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, and eggs will provide the body will all nutrients needed for optimal function. However, in some cases where the diet is not varied or lacks in a certain food source, supplements are needed in order to make up for the deficiency. For example, a vegan athlete may need to consume a vitamin B12, iron, and calcium supplement to make up for the lack of meat, dairy, and eggs in the diet since these vital nutrients cannot be heavily consumed through plant-based food sources (3, 1, 9). Other reasons for the need of consuming supplements maybe due to a certain culture that hinder specific nutrient intake, individuals taking medications which inhibit or interfere with the body’s use of nutrients, or people who suffer from disease or addiction. Since vitamins and minerals are needed for converting food into energy as well as maintain homeostasis, it is suggested that athletes may need an increase in these nutrients due to high levels of training and activity. In support of ingesting nutritional ergogenic aids it is under these circumstances that an athlete would need to participate in a nutrient supplemental regimen. Athletes who chose to utilize a nutritional ergogenic aid should select a product with vigilance and acquire as much information on the preferred supplement prior to routine consumption (6). General guidelines for follow-through with this decision and ensure safe practice include consulting with a registered dietician or sports nutritionist to help evaluate nutritional needs, avoid extremely high concentrates of vitamin A, vitamin D, iron, calcium, and zinc as these nutrients naturally inhibit absorption of other nutrients, avoid “organic” supplements as a method of saving money as these products are just as effective as their synthetic counterpart, and avoid “time-release” supplements as the body will not recognize the disparity in time of absorption (9).

In summation, a varied diet of natural food sources will provide the athlete all the nutritional needs for performance therefore ingesting nutritional aids in not necessary. In some cases, the vegetarian or nutrient deficient athlete may need to consider a nutritional ergogenic aid regimen to make up for these deficiencies. However, the athlete partaking in a supplemental regimen will always remain in risk of testing positive for prohibited substances and/or experience health issues due to side effects. If an athlete chooses to regularly consume a nutritional aid it is recommended the athlete ensue with caution.

References

1. Bernadot, Dan. (2011). Advanced sports nutrition. (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

2. http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/ConsumerInformation/ucm191930.htm#FDA_role

3. Whitney, E., DeBruyne, L. K., Pinna, K., & Rolfes, S. R. (2011). Nutrition for health & health care. (4th ed., p. 136). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth CENGAGE Learning.

4. Gavin, M. L. (2011, November). Sport supplements. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/sports/sports_supplements.html

5. http://www.fda.gov/aboutfda/whatwedo/default.htm

6. http://www.usada.org/supplement411/supplement-dilemma/athletes-dilemma

7. http://www.wada-ama.org/en/About-WADA/

8. Jacob, A. (2011). The signs & symptoms of excessive carbohydrate consumption. LIVESTRONG: Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/460965-the-signs-symptoms-of-excessive-carbohydrate-consumption/

9. Dorfman, L. (2000). The vegetarian sports nutrition guide. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

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Pros vs. Cons: Sports Supplements

Post:

Pros vs. Cons: Sports Supplements

Author:

 Juan Cruz

Posted Date:

November 2, 2012 6:53 PM

Status:

Published

Pros vs. Cons: Sports Supplements

            Nowadays, there’s a pill, powder, or some concoction that has promises of making athletes bigger, stronger, and faster. And athletes are the perfect target for the supplement industry because they are always looking for that edge to beat their competition and have one thing engraved in their brains starting at a very young age: winning. They are told no matter the cost or sacrifice, win at all costs. Other than hard work, taking supplements is the next best thing to get a “leg up” on the competition, so they are told. What they aren’t told are the potential negatives to putting some supplements in their bodies and the long term effects some supplements can have if abused or taken incorrectly. On the other hand, some supplements can improve what the athlete is looking to enhance and can have benefits that help get the athlete to the next level.

            Supplements can have substantial benefits to not only an athlete’s performance but an athlete’s overall health as well. The ingestion of certain supplements can improve an athlete’s performance and give them a possible advantage over their opponent. Athletes are well aware of the benefits that certain supplements can have on their performance. This can range from improving muscle mass, reducing fat mass, improving recovery and repair time of damaged muscle tissue, increasing energy levels, improving immune system and organ function, CNS effects and a long list of many possible benefits for the athlete’s body. This would certainly draw an athlete to start consuming protein or creatine because the promise of bigger muscles can benefit them in the athletic arena. Supplements can also have nutritional and dietary value as well. Where a nutrient deficiency is demonstrated, supplements may provide a short-term solution until a dietary solution can be identified and implemented (Maughan, Depiesse & Geyer, 2007). This can be beneficial to an athlete simply because not every athlete has access to a nutritionist or a knowledgeable mentor to look out for their dietary needs. While it is true that professional and most elite Division I athletes might have access, depending on the prestige and budget of the program, to a resident nutritionist, most athletes are left to fend for themselves when it comes to their diet. While sports supplements main identity lies with performance enhancement, supplements can also have positive health benefits as well. Many products are sold with the aim of promoting joint health and reducing the wear and tear caused by overuse, ageing and inflammatory conditions, including arthritis (Maughan, King & Lea, 2004). Athletes, as well as elders or people with joint issues, can benefit from supplements that lubricate and improve range of motion in joints. Athletes’ bodies are beat up, especially in contact sports, on a daily basis during their respective seasons and a supplement that can reduce swelling and help maintain the joints ability to perform day-in and day-out can substantially help that athlete’s performance. The most popular sports supplements are those of the mass building kind. Protein, creatine, amino acids, and even on the extreme end, anabolic agents are among the “weapons” of choice among athletes. The use of dietary supplements seems to be particularly prevalent among athletes in strength and power sports, with some surveys showing that all athletes from these events were using one or more supplements (Maughan, King & Lea, 2004). Athletes in high impact, collision sports want to be the biggest, fastest, and strongest out there. Sports supplements can help them on their journey to do so. With the high injury rates among these sports, athletes believe that “packing” on the muscle can help protect them from injury as well as give them a competitive advantage over their opponents. Aside from the performance benefits sports supplements provides, most athletes, or even the average person, will not complain with the aesthetically pleasing benefits that can potentially arise from supplement usage. Fat loss and muscle accumulation are goals of just about everyone, athlete or non-athlete. Everyone wants to be in that body they had back in high school, before children, or just want a different body from what they presently have. Sports supplements can accommodate those requests. Sports supplements have a range of benefits and are a billion dollar industry. The extent of the benefits all depends on the individual however. Diet, exercise, and genetics all play a significant role in the effectiveness of the supplements.

            On the other hand, supplement usage can have negative side effects as well their potential benefits. In a study done on supplements and adolescents, none of the participants discussed any negative or potentially dangerous effects of nutritional supplementation (O’D ea, 2003). This just goes to show that the potential risks of supplement usage are not widely known among the public. Being that most supplements out on the market are FDA approved, the government has no regulation on what the companies “claim” there product can do. As long as they don’t say it can cure or prevent disease, they can pretty much say what they want. Some products claim “explosive vascularity” and “shirt-tearing pumps” that are associated with the consumption of their product. What they don’t say is that their product could potentially lead to irritability from the massive amounts of caffeine in their product or even worse their signature “ proprietary blend”. With stuff like that, they don’t have to state exactly what’s in it or the exact amount of the ingredients in their product. So athletes never really know exactly what is going into their system. That can lead to another potential problem, drug testing. With all these supplements on the market and easily available at stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, and even gas stations, governing bodies of sports organizations (ex.: NCAA, NFL, MLB, IOC, etc.) have restrictions for the use of ergogenic aids and performance enhancing drugs. Obviously the most notorious of these is anabolic steroids and in recent years has become more and more of a pressing issue in professional and amateur sports. But it’s not only they type of supplement used, it’s the amount as well. Certain levels of simple supplements, such as caffeine, can be deemed illegal. An athlete is not banned from ingesting supplements such as caffeine but is allowed a certain amount before their respective governing body feels that it gives that athlete an advantage. The knowledge of these supplements and their negative side effects is largely unknown and masked by only the potential short-term benefits that the companies and media display on a large scale. An understanding of the science, or lack thereof, behind ergogenic aids is essential for those who care for athletes. Team physicians, trainers, and coaches must give meaningful and safe advice to these athletes (Tokish, Kocher & Hawkins, 2004). This statement falls not only on the trainers and coaches, but parents, teammates, and even friends. All these people can influence an athlete either negatively positively. This can lead an athlete going to extreme measures to attain elite levels of performance. The use of supplements can get an athlete suspended, kicked out of the institution, scholarship revoked, and in professional cases, substantial fines that can be hundreds of thousands dollars. Along with the immediate short-term effects, long-term health risks can come into play with long-term usage of certain supplements. Routine iron supplementation, for example, can do more harm than good, and the risk of iron toxicity is very real (Maughan et. al, 2004). Nausea, vomiting, and on the extreme end, potential death from liver failure can occur from iron toxicity. This is just an example of a simple supplement turned dangerous because of the person being unknowledgeable about the usage of a supplement and can pretty much occur with any supplement out there. Supplements can be helpful in reaching goals but in some cases, the risks outweigh the potential benefits exponentially.

            The use of sports supplements is a decision that needs to be weighed through a needs-analysis and weigh the benefits versus the risks, both long-

term and short-term. Supplements are all dependent on the individual consuming them. All the protein and creatine in the world is not going to give

someone bigger muscles just by simply ingesting those products. Diet, type and frequency of exercise, and most importantly genetics, all contribute to the

effectiveness of the supplements. If the athlete’s diet is not meeting the needs of the goals set and the exercise regime is not aimed at training for what they

want to accomplish, they are just wasting their time and money. Supplements are just that, supplements, intended to supplement proper diet and exercise.

Most people think that supplements are magic potions that will magically give them what they want. If they are not careful, they might be getting a few

things they didn’t ask for, either immediately or down the line. Bottom line, athletes and professionals need to educate themselves before advising someone

or consuming supplements. They can have huge advantages but if taken incorrectly, can lead to some major consequences.

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Sports Supplements: Pros vs. Cons

Post:

Sports Supplements: Pros vs. Cons

Author:

 Samantha Cochran

Posted Date:

November 2, 2012 9:03 PM

Status:

Published

It is my opinion that the cons outweigh the pros for sport supplementation. I think that a properly balance diet for each individuals needs can satisfy all nutritional goals. However, there are exceptions such as food allergies, medical conditions, and availability of certain foods that may create a need for some supplementation for certain individuals. Below is my discussion of the pros and cons.

Nutritional, or dietary, supplements are a controversial topic in the world of sport and athletic performance. There are two sides to every story and I will discuss the pros and cons of nutritional supplementation.

                The negative side, or cons, of nutritional supplementation are heavy and, in my opinion, out weigh the pros.  Many of these supplements offer no performance or health benefit, and some may actually be detrimental to both performance and health when taken in high doses for prolonged periods.  Nutritional supplements are not regulated meaning that everything that is contained in the supplement may not be on the label. This is cause for concern for competitive athletes at the high school, college, and Olympic level because it may mean that banned substances are in the product and there may be an increased risk for testing positive on an anti-doping drug test. The principle of strict liability that applies in sport means that innocent ingestion of prohibited substances is not an acceptable excuse, and athletes testing positive are liable to penalties. Another concern is that there may be an increased risk for adverse side effects caused by a product containing ingredients not listed on the label. Often these supplements recommend doses that contain an over abundant amount of a certain supplement which the body cannot even use or process all of and ends up simply disposing of it. Nutritional supplements are costly to begin with and by following dosage recommendations on the label even more money is potentially being wasted since much of the supplement is disposed of by the body. For the most part, there is not a nutritional need that cannot be accomplished by a proper, well balanced diet. By consuming a variety of whole foods all nutritional needs can be covered in a safe and effective manner that is also relatively inexpensive. Legally, the manufacturers of nutritional supplements cannot make performance enhancement health claims and with over 75,000 products on the market it is likely that there is little to no research to show the safety or efficacy of the majority these products.  There is also a possibility of the body building up a tolerance to supplements, like caffeine, thus reducing the stimulus and creating the necessity for higher dosage and again, producing a higher cost and greater risk for adverse health effects. The lack of consumer knowledge in nutritional supplements is partially to blame for the poor product quality. Once consumers decide that it is not okay for manufacturers to put their health at risk for profit many of these products will not be able to continue to exist due to poor sales and pushing the need for safe products to be produced and distributed.

Now that the cons of nutritional supplements have been discussed, it is time to look at the other side of the story, the pros. For the athlete training hard, nutritional supplements are often seen as enabling adaptations to training, allowing more consistent and intensive training by promoting recovery between training sessions, reducing interruptions to training because of illness or injury, and enhancing competitive performance. A few supplements may be helpful to athletes in specific circumstances, especially where food intake or food choice is restricted, such as dietary allergies or medical conditions. Vitamin and mineral supplements should be used only when a food-based solution is not available. Sports drinks, energy bars, and protein –& nbsp;carbohydrate shakes may all be useful and convenient at specific times, like fluid replacement during intense exercise or endurance activities such as marathons and triathlons, immediate post workout supplementation, and between meal snacks for athletes with hectic schedules. There are well-documented roles for creatine and caffeine in enhancing performance in high-intensity exercise. Creatine supplementation is believed to saturate the muscles with creatine and enhance the capability to delay fatigue during high intensity exercise that uses ATP as an energy source, which creatine helps store in the muscle.  Caffeine has been shown to help endurance athletes by increasing free fatty acids concentration in plasma and FFA’s are a primary energy source for endurance activity, thus delaying fatigue. The nutritional supplement that has the most potential and is probably the most important to have an abundance of is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are used as energy for all types of activity and it is vital to brain function, thus making it essential for athletes to have the proper amount in the body prior to exercise and carbohydrate loading is also probably the safest in terms of nutritional supplementation.  Carbohydrate loading prior to exercise by ingesting starches from pasta, bread, rice and other cereals are best for storage in the days before activity, glucose gels are best just before exercise, and sports drinks with 6-8% carbohydrate content during exercise. A side effect from high carbohydrate intake is extra water retention which is beneficial for high intensity and long duration activity, but may be detrimental for athletes that need an excessive amount of flexibility, gymnasts and divers, because muscle stiffness may occur due to the excess water being stored. Finally, what seems to drive the want for nutritional supplements is convenience and simplicity. It is much easier to buy something prepackaged that says will help than to actually properly plan on one’s own.

The most important questions an individual needs to ask before starting any nutritional supplementation are as follows: is there a need, can this be compensated for through diet, and do the benefits outweigh the risks? 

Maughan, R. J., King, D. S., & Lea, T. (2004). Dietary supplements. Journal of Sports Sciences, 22(1), 95-113. 

Benardot, D. (2012). Ergogenic Aids.Advanced sports nutrition (Second Edition ed., pp. 110-130). Champaign: Human Kinetics. 

Maughan, R. (2005). Contamination of dietary supplements and positive drug tests in sport. Journal of Sports Sciences,23(9), 883-889.

Maughan, R. J., Depiesse, F., & Geyer, H. (2007). The use of dietary supplements by athletes. Journal of Sports Sciences,25(S1), S103-S113.

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Thread:

Pros & Cons of Supplementation

Post:

Pros & Cons of Supplementation

Author:

 Marianita Carbajal

Posted Date:

October 30, 2012 8:46 AM

Status:

Published

DietarySupplementation

There are different forms ofergogenic aids, which are used as dietary supplements in order to improveperformance athletically. Nutritional ergogenic aids are substances that arenutrients that come from food, metabolic by-products, plant extracts or just simplysubstances that are commonly found in foods. Examples of nutritional aids wouldbe carbohydrates and protein. Non-nutritional ergogenic aids are products thatare neither nutrients nor any substance with nutritional properties. The mostcommon non-nutritional supplement would be anabolic steroids. These ergogenicaids, or supplements, can benefit athletes in different ways, however too muchof one thing or supplementing the wrong thing can also disadvantage athletes inmany ways as well.  

 One ofthe main advantages of taking supplements is that they can help to correct anynutritional deficiencies that an individual may have (Andrews). As athletes,they use so many calories for energy that they tend to require more vitaminsand nutrients than the average person. Consequently, they might not consume allof what they need in their regular diet. Therefore, by supplementing what they need to, they can improve theiroverall health and even their performance. By correcting any deficiencies inthe diet, the athlete may be able to perform better, have a longer endurance,and have more energy.

 Supplementscan also be advantageous in circumstances in which the individual, or athlete,have minor health issues, such as diabetes, high or low cholesterol, or evenmemory problems (Edwards). By supplementing the certain vitamins and mineralsthat can help to control or possibly alleviate these conditions, the athletecan usually progress in health as well as performance. By supplementing theproper nutrients, patients with diabetes or high blood pressure might be ableto manage their conditions better which would allow them to perform better byplacing their body at a healthy equilibrium which allows the body to functionproperly.

 Dosageof these supplements is very important. A con of supplementation would be whenathletes take too much of a product and it can end up adversely affecting theirperformance. High doses of supplements can have adverse effects that take placeimmediately, or over time (Pros and Cons). By consuming something over longperiods of time, those supplements can end up harming some of the organs insidethe body causing serious health issues later in life. 

 One ofthe main downsides to taking dietary supplements is that most of the ones arethe market have not been tested by the FDA (McDaniels). Due to this form ofregulation, there may possibly be chemicals in some of the supplements that canharm the body, and the consumer is unaware of the risks because of the lack oftesting.

 Overall,supplementation of different vitamins or minerals, or other substances can havestrong benefits as well as detriments to an athlete’s performance. There arestrong arguments for taking supplements as well as the opposition for doing so.In some cases, supplementation may be required in order to compensate for somedeficiencies an athlete might have, and in other cases, supplements may beunnecessary but still consumed by an athlete with goals to improve theirperformance. Research has shown that as long as the supplements are taken underthe right circumstances, needs, and with the correct dosages, an athlete cansometimes improve in performance as well as overall health. However, when takenimproperly, the supplements can have some unfortunate disadvantages to theperformance and overall health as well.

Andrews, Tina. (2012). Pros & Cons of Dietary Supplements. LIVESTRONG.COM.Livestrong Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/355831-pros-cons-of-dietary-supplements/. 

Edwards, Tanya, MD. The Pros andCons of Dietary Supplements. General Board of Pension and Health Benefits.Retrieved from http://www.gbophb.org/UserFiles/File/health/ 19integrative_medicine_and_dietary_supplements.pdf.

McDaniels, Ruben. (2008). DietarySupplments for Fat Loss- Advantages and Disadvantages. Ezine Articles. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Dietary-Supplements-For-Fat-Loss---Disadvantages-and-Advantages&id=2142212.

(2012). Pros and Cons of Dietary Supplements. MilitaryFitness. Retrieved from http://www.military.com/military-fitness/health/pros-and-cons-of-dietary-supplements.

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Pro v Con Dietary Supplementation

Post:

Pro v Con Dietary Supplementation

Author:

 Abby Cantu

Posted Date:

November 12, 2012 8:23 AM

Status:

Published

Sport supplements have been discussed in a multitude of ways and there is research that shows their positive correlation to sports performance and others that view dietary supplements as being capable of negative or harmful health issues. So there is a pro’s verses con’s debate needed to show the separate ideas from different sources and provide a basic understanding about the safety of the supplement and how to pick the dietary supplement best suited for the athlete (1).

There are some pro’s to consumption of dietary supplements with the primary goal being to gain the sports performance enhancement that can result from taking supplements. It is normally accepted that attaining the 100% RDA of each vitamin and mineral is regarded as safe. Athletes that are engaged with heavy training require more vitamins like thiamin, riboflavin and B6 since those are involved with energy production (4) and phosphate salt supplementation can have significant improvements in aerobic endurance performance as well maximal oxygen uptake (3). It’s accepted that antioxidant supplements for athletes that are training with normal or heavy programs will limit oxidative stress (4). Oxidative stress is the way your body reacts to the oxygen as you breathe and the cells produce energy, so since antioxidants limit this stress it would be important to help your body’s inability to produce enough antioxidants by consuming those (4). Also there is a possibility that an athlete could have a vitamin or mineral deficiency if they are involved with a sport that requires weight control or they don’t have a well balance diet and a dietary supplement would potentially aid their health status (4). Many times the only pro to taking any type of dietary supplement is for those with nutrient deficiencies that which gain the most benefit (1). Something to think about also when deciding to take a dietary supplement is how high the athlete’s intake of processed food is reproduced because it would be recommended for supplementation if the athlete isn’t getting sufficient nutrients from food intake. The way fruits and vegetables are harvested is another aspect to consider because over time there has become less of a nutritional supply from these foods compared to centuries ago. Another factor is the influx of pharmaceutical medications as they can have a negative effect on absorption and digestion of nutrients so supplementation may be necessary.  If an athlete wants to engage in consuming dietary supplements they should look for honest companies and make sure the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) certified label is on the products label (4).  Talk to their coaches, parents, and a health professional and get proper assessment before taking any type of dietary supplement.

Con’s against the use of dietary supplements for sports performance enhancement is primarily the potential for it to be harmful or have negative effects on the health. For an athlete, consuming too much of numerous vitamins or minerals can be detrimental to their health, and an example is how excessive amounts of niacin can contribute to liver damage (3). There is also the fact that athletes can gain the RDA of vitamins and minerals through proper diet and training which according to Williams, supplementation with the minerals calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc copper and selenium will not aid in sport performance. Body composition nor muscular strength and endurance with extended use of chromium, boron, and vanadium have any beneficial performance effects with mineral supplementation (3). Dietary supplements can’t contend with natural whole foods since the natural foods contain hundreds upon thousands of ingredients that haven’t even been identified yet nor do they hold the same nutritional value. Since the dietary supplements have a harmful and unnecessary potential with excessive amounts of vitamins and minerals that a person with a normal diet doesn’t need it shows how this can be a con to consumption (1).  Another issue is how insufficiently the dietary supplement industry is regulated or lack thereof and how corrupt entrepreneurs may market their supplements that contain prohibited ingredients like ephedrine (4). This is a problem facing many athletes because most companies and organizations that market the supplements cannot be 100% certain what substances a supplement contain (1). Manufacturers do not have to meet the FDA approval before production of the dietary supplement so they can use whatever serving size and whatever amount of nutrients they want to produce (2). The global supply chain is a way for manufacturers of dietary supplements to export for raw ingredients for their products but have no way of measuring the quality of the goods they receive (1). To put things in perspective a bit, there are more than 75,000 dietary supplements that are being marketed and not one can be considered safe.  Alongside this issue is how easily an athlete can succumb to pressure from coaches, parents, teammates, or different media outlets to take dietary supplements for performance enhancement (1).

References:

(1) Supplement 411. (Apri). Retrieved from http://www.usada.org/supplement411

(2) U.S. Food & Drug Administration , Food- Dietary Supplements. (2012). Dietary supplements – Q&A. Retrieved from website:http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/ConsumerInformation/ucm191930.htm

(3) Williams, M. (2005). Dietary Supplements and Sports Performance: Minerals. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2(1):43-49.

(4) Williams, M. (2004). Dietary Supplements and Sports Performance: Vitamins. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 1(2):1-6.

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Supporting usage of short term supplementation

Post:

Supporting usage of short term supplementation

Author:

 Laura Brennan

Posted Date:

November 2, 2012 11:21 AM

Status:

Published

I did some research on the performance benefits of caffeine for endurance and glycerol for hydration. Based on current research I think that supplementation of ergogenic aids, specifically caffeine & glycerol, may be beneficial if used on a short term basis. However, I think would be detrimental to an athlete's health to continue the use of supplements on a long term basis (for more than a few years). There are not enough long term studies to show the health risks associated with consistent, long term use of ergogenic aids like caffeine. The studies that do currently exist suggest potential harmful effects.

I think it is very easy for most individuals to build a tolerance to supplemented ergogenic aids, which usually results in them supplementing more instead of withdrawing from use. Athletes should focus on constructing a diet from natural foods that will give them the ergogenic benefits, instead of manufactured supplements. Supplements should be regulated under the FDA as if they were a drug. This would lead to greater knowledge of what ingredients are being ingested, and potential side effects of usage.

While competitive athletes may temporarily gain a performance advantage through the use of supplementation, it is not worth the risks involved. Supplements may unknowingly contain illegal ingredients, and may cause adverse negative effects that are not immediately noticed. In efforts to maintain long-term health and avoid legal discrepancies, athletes are better off ditching the supplements.

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Is it Worth the Risk?

Post:

Is it Worth the Risk?

Author:

 Julie Baker

Posted Date:

November 2, 2012 1:00 PM

Status:

Published

Is it Worth the Risk?

Sports nutrition supplements are one of the fastest growing categories in the nutritional supplement industry.  However, there are a number of advantages and disadvantages to taking sports supplements. There are many supplements that claim to make you faster, stronger, and give you more energy. So to an athlete who is trying to reach their peak performance, taking a sports supplement may offer them an enticing advantage. But is taking a sports supplement worth the risk? In the following paragraphs I will examine the pros and cons to supplement use. 

Eating a well-balanced diet is essential to maintaining performance. Depending on the amount of physical activity that an athlete does, they may have to include a supplement in order to get all of the nutrients their bodies need. One of the most popular sports supplements taken by strength athletes today is Creatine Monohydrate. Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid found in the body and it helps fuel the muscles. Taking a supplement containing Creatine combined with phosphorus can help an athlete replenish energy levels that are lost from intense anaerobic training. There have been hundreds of studies done that analyze whether exercise and sport performance is influenced by Creatine supplementation. One study that was done unveiled that Creatine supplementation increased a subject’s total lifting volume by 43% when performing a repetition to failure test using 70% of their 1RM bench press.  The following is a position statement by the International Society of Sports Nutrition related to the use of creatine as a nutritional supplement: “Creatine monohydrate is the most effective ergogenic nutritional supplement currently available to athletes in terms of increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training.”  It would seem then that supplementing with Creatine Monohydrate allows an athlete to train at higher intensities and recover quicker between multiple sessions and sets during exercise. For endurance athletes caffeine is one supplement that they often turn to, to boost performance. Caffeine is popular because it is easy to access and can improve performance in endurance athletes when taken an hour before a race or at different intervals during an endurance race. A study done by C. French, et al., found that elite distance runners fed 10 mg of caffeine per kg of body mass immediately before a treadmill run to exhaustion, improved their performance time compared with the placebo and control groups. Any type of sports supplement purchased should come from high quality inspected facilities that adhere to the FDA good manufacturing practice guidelines. 

It seems that everywhere you look now days, whether a fitness magazine, gym ad, or sports publication, you see advertisements for protein powders, amino acids, creatine, hydration drinks, energy drinks, sports nutrition bars, or thermogenic supplements. A huge percentage of athletes use or have used some sort of dietary supplement during training. But is taking a sports supplement worth the risk? American swimmer Jessica Hardy set two world records in 2008 and was expected to take home medals from the Olympics in 2008, but she never made it to Beijing. Instead, she was suspended from the Olympic team after testing positive for Clenbuterol, an asthma medication that can increase muscle growth. Although it doesn’t seem that Jessica knowingly took this supplement, it was her responsibility to confirm any ingredients contained within her prescription. Luckily Jessica was cleared and able to compete in the 2012 Olympics but there are many athletes who also unknowingly consume a supplement that is contaminated and are banned for life. An alarming fact is that in the U.S., dietary supplements are not strictly regulated and manufactures do not have to demonstrate that their supplements are either safe or effective. They are however barred from selling unsafe products.  A recent article has shown that contamination occurs in about 25% of all dietary supplements, with anabolic steroids being the most common contaminant. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains a list of tainted products that are sold as dietary supplements. What athletes also need to consider is the long term effects that performance enhancing drugs may have on their health. An example of this is Erythropoietin, which is a type of hormone that increases production of red blood cells and hemoglobin, resulting in improved movement of oxygen to the muscles and is commonly used by endurance athletes. Erythropoietin use was common in the 1990s among competitive cyclists. Some of the medical issues related to erythropoietin are an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and pulmonary edema. Erythropoietin allegedly contributed to at least 18 deaths in that decade. Different athletes have distinct nutritional requirements and the various kinds of supplements available in the market today cannot be appropriate for everyone.

In my opinion it seems overall that dietary supplements can do more harm than good. I would recommend structuring an athlete’s diet so that they get most of what they need from a well-balanced diet and if absolutely needed, augment where the diet is lacking. But if you need to take a lot of supplements then your diet most certainly is lacking something. Every athlete should consult a physician prior to taking any sort of supplement and should always err on the side of caution. 

1. 1. Earnest, C., Snell, P., Rodriguez, R., Almada, A., Mitchell, T. (1995). The effect of creatine monohydrate ingestion on anaerobic power indices, muscular strength and body composition. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica, 153, 207-209.

2. Buford, TW, Kreider, RB, et al., International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Creatine Supplementation and Exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2007, 4:11

3. French C, McNaughton L, Davies P, Tristram S: Caffeine ingestion during exercise to exhaustion in elite distance runners. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 1991, 31:425-433

4. Shipley, A. (2008, July 25). Hardy’s Positive Test Rocks Swimming. The Washington Post. Retrieved October 25, 2012, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/24/AR2008072403503.html

5. Petroczi, A., Taylor, G., & Naughton, D.P. (2011). Mission impossible? Regulatory and enforcement issues to ensure safety of dietary supplements. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 49(2), 393–4 02.

6. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "Tips For The Savvy Supplement User: Making Informed Decisions And Evaluating Information.  January 2002

7. Ramotar J. (1990). Cyclists' deaths linked to erythropoietin? Physician and Sports Medicine, 18, 48-49.

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Sports Supplements

Post:

Sports Supplements

Author:

 Marcello Alves

Posted Date:

October 30, 2012 2:31 PM

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I strongly believe that athletes should use sports supplements.

My opinion is not only based in theory but also in practical experience. I was a professional athlete for over 10 years and I can guarantee that to maintain or increase a high level of performance during long periods of time it is almost impossible without the use of supplementation. 

I used many different sports supplements for many different reasons during my career and some of them were bad, some were useless, but some of them were great and really helped me to enhance performance and or health.

I think for regular and even active people, the use of supplementation is not a need, but it could be used in some specific cases. However, when it comes to high level athletes, the use of sports supplementation, in my opinion, is a need due to the high demands of training and competitions. 

Just to be clear, I am not saying that athletes should substitute foods for supplementation. The first step should be the ingestion of all essential nutrients from food (good food choices), and then the use of supplementation to, as the word stands for, supplement the nutrients needs according to the specificity of the scenario.  

There are many studies that prove the efficacy and safety of many different sports supplements, so why not use that as a tool to enhance performance or health?

* Practice what you know essay attached.

 

Attachment:  Sports Supplements.docx (119.017 KB)

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