A dietary supplement is a product that is intended to supplement the diet and contains a dietary ingredient. They are not regulated by the FDA.
Ingredients
⚫ May include vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, and glandular extracts
⚫ May also include extracts, metabolites, or concentrates of those substances
Forms
⚫ Powders, tablets, capsules, softgels, gelcaps, liquids
⚫ May only be intended for oral ingestion
⚫ Other forms such as a bar as long as the information on its label does not represent product as conventional food or a sole item of a meal or diet
⚫ Cannot be marketed or promoted for sublingual, intranasal, transdermal, injected, or in any other route of administration except oral ingestion
| Purpose | Products |
| Muscle growth and repair | Protein powder, protein hydrolysate, amino acids, essential amino acids, HMB |
| Fat reduction | Pyruvate, caffeine, carnitine, ma huang |
| Exercise metabolism | Carbohydrate, caffeine, bicarbonate, creatine |
| Promoting recovery | Whole protein powders, protein isolates, hydrolysates, protein-carbohydrate bars and drinks, ginseng |
| Joint health | Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate |
| General health | Vitamins, minerals, evening primrose |
| Immune function | Echinacea, anti-oxidants, zinc, glutamine, lycopene, pycnogenol |
| CNS stimulation | Taurine, caffeine, guarana |
| Meal/replacement | Liquid meals, sports bars, carbohydrate gels |
| Fluid and electrolytes | Sports drinks, electrolyte supplements |
Safeguards
NCCA Banned Substances
⚫ Stimulants
⚫ Anabolic agents
⚫ To "keep up" with everyone else using supplements
⚫ Appealing claims/labels
Dangers
⚫ Can contain: banned or prohibited substances, unlabeled toxins and/or contaminants, levels of key nutrients above or below what is listed on supplement label
⚫ May promote dangerous, or fatal health effects
| Ingredients Posing Risk |
| Amphetamines |
| Anabolic Steroids |
| Ephedrine |
| Human Growth Hormone |
| 1,3 DMMA or Methylhexanemine |
| Caffeine |
| Toxins/Contaminants |
| Red Flags |
| Muscle-building, weight-loss, sexual enhancement, or energy "supplements |
| Ingredients end in -ol, -diol, or -stene |
| Proprietary blends, contain "trademarked" or "patented" ingredients |
| Claim to act as a treatment for a disease |
| Claim to be an alternative to prescription medication |
| Contain herbal ingredients |
Safeguards
NCCA Banned Substances
⚫ Stimulants
⚫ Anabolic agents
⚫ Alcohol and beta blockers
⚫ Diuretics and masking agents
⚫ Narcotics
⚫ Cannabinoids
⚫ Peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics
⚫ Hormone and metabolic modulators (anti-estrogens)
⚫ Beta-2 agonists
IOC List of Prohibited Substances
⚫ https://www.wada-ama.org/en/prohibited-list
Supplement 411
⚫ https://www.usada.org/announcement/be-an-informed-athlete-usada-launches-supplement411-org-to-provide-facts-about-the-risks-involved-with-dietary-supplement-use/
Ergogenic Aids
An ergogenic aid is any training technique, mechanical device, nutritional ingredient or practice, pharmacological method, or psychological technique that can improve exercise performance capacity or enhance training adaptions.
Nutritional Ergogenic Aid
Nutritional supplements taken orally containing a nutritional ingredient that intends to complement the diet.
Objective
Improve sports performance without exerting harmful effects on the individual.
A nutritional supplement is ergogenic if studies show it significantly enhances exercise performance following weeks to months of ingestion.
⚫ Promotes increases in maximal strength, running speed, and/or work during a given exercise task.
A supplement may also have ergogenic value if it acutely enhances ability of an athlete to perform an exercise task or enhances recovery from a single exercise bout.
| Supplement | Ergogenic Effect | Concerns |
| Creatine | Improves performance of repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise with short recovery periods
| Associated with acute gain (0.6-1kg) which may be problematic in weight sensitive sports |
| Caffeine | Reduces perception of fatigue Allows exercise to be sustained at optimal intensity/output for longer | Causes side-effect (tremor, anxiety, increased heart rate, etc.) when consumed in high doses |
| Sodium Bicarbonate | Improves performance of events that would otherwise be limited by acid-base disturbances associated with high rates of anaerobic glycolysis
| May cause gastrointestinal side-effects which cause performance impairment rather than benefit |
| Beta-alanine | Improves performance of events that would otherwise be limited by acid-base disturbances associated with high rates of anaerobic glycolysis
| Some products with rapid absorption may cause paresthesia (tingling sensation) |
| Nirate | Improves exercise tolerance and economy | Consumption in concentrated food sources may cause gut discomfort and discoloration of urine |
