Vitamins
• Normally, a healthy person who eats a balanced diet will
get all the vitamins needed.
• Vitamins are classified as natural or synthetic. The body
uses both in the same way.
• Vitamins do not provide energy and they do not build
muscles. They help release the energy from the
carbohydrates and fats people ingest.
• The only disorders that can be cured by vitamins are
those caused by vitamin deficiencies.
• If vitamin supplements are thought to be necessary by
the athlete, a physician or registered dietitian should be
consulted first.
Minerals
• Minerals are inorganic elements or
molecules that do not provide energy, but
in their role as body regulators, can
contribute to the production of energy from
carbohydrates and fats.
• Concentrated forms of minerals should be
used only on the advice of a physician.
Herbal Supplements
• Medicinal herbs have provided some of the
oldest medicines, however the effectiveness of
many herbs has not been proven. Since the
FDA treats herbal products as dietary
supplements, manufacturers of these products
are not required to demonstrate the safety or
effectiveness of their products before they are
put on the market, as drug manufacturers do.
• The composition of herbal products can vary
greatly from one batch to another.
Glucosamine
• Glucosamine is naturally produced by the
human body to maintain cartilage in the joints.
• Glucosamine has been proven as an effective
treatment for osteoarthritis and as an aid in the
recovery of some sports injuries.
• Side effects include stomach problems,
heartburn, and diarrhea. People with heart
problems or high blood pressure should consult
a physician first. Glucosamine should not be
taken by people using heart medications or
insulin.
Chondroitin
• Chondroitin is a naturally occurring
substance found in human and animal
cartilage.
• It has proven abilities to treat
osteoarthritis.
• Anticoagulant users should consult their
physicians before using chondroitin.
Performance Enhancers
• An ergogenic aid is any agent that
enhances energy utilization, including
energy production and efficiency.
Anabolic steroids
• Anabolic steroids are available legally only by
prescription.
• Athletes and others who abuse anabolic steroids
often take them for a specific period of time, then
quit for a while, then start again (cycling), and
they will combine several types (stacking) in
hopes of minimizing negative effects.
• Major side effects of anabolic steroid abuse
include liver tumors and cancer, jaundice, fluid
retention, high blood pressure, increased bad
cholesterol (LDL), and decreased good
cholesterol (HDL).
Anabolic steroids
• Other side effects include kidney tumors, severe acne,
and trembling. Also, in males, testicle shrinkage,
reduced sperm count, infertility, baldness, breast
development, and increased risk of prostate cancer may
occur. Females may suffer from growth of facial hair,
male-pattern baldness, menstrual cycle cessation,
clitoral enlargement, and a deepening voice. The
adolescent’s skeleton may mature prematurely,
permanently stopping growth in height.
• Various mental conditions are associated with anabolic
steroids, such as aggression, mood swings, depression
if the steroids are stopped, paranoid jealousy, extreme
irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment. Other drug
abuse may also occur.
Growth Hormone
• Growth hormone works by increasing
protein production and allows fat to be
used for energy rather than muscle
glycogen.
• Side effects of growth hormone include
heart disease, impotence, osteoporosis,
and death.
Androstenedione
• Side effects include masculinizing effects
in females and feminizing effects in males,
premature bone growth cessation,
aggression and mood changes, decreased
HDL, increased cardiovascular disease,
breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
• Androstenedione is a banned by the IOC,
the NFL, and the NCAA.
Caffeine
• Caffeine makes people feel more alert, full of
energy, in a better mood, and more productive
• Studies currently contradict each other as to
benefits to athletes.
• Caffeine can cause sleeplessness, anxiety,
headache, upset stomach, nervousness, and
dehydration. Dehydration can work against
athletes performance, since proper water
balance is such an important part of nutrition.
• The IOC has banned caffeine over a certain
limit.
Creatine Monohydrate
• Side effects include weight gain from
excess cellular water, muscular cramping,
dehydration, GI stress, nausea, and
seizure.
Ephedra
• A shrublike plant that is found in desert regions.
It is a stimulant containing the herbal form of
ephedrine, an FDA-regulation drug found in
over-the-counter asthma medications.
• Ephedrine is widely used for weight loss, as an
energy booster and to enhance athletic
performance.
• Serious adverse effects include hypertension,
heart palpitations, neuropathy, myopathy,
psychosis, stroke, memory loss, heart rate
irregularities, insomnia, nervousness, tremors,
seizures, heart attacks, and death.
Current IOC, NCAA, and
Professional Standards
The International Olympic Committee Medical
Commission, in their effort to deal with Doping
in the sports world, has developed three
fundamental principles;
1. Protection of the health of athletes
2. Respect for both medical and sports ethics
3. Equality for all competing athletes
The NCAA has a drug-testing program that mandates
urine collection and analysis on specific occasions.
Several professional athletic teams have written policy
statements concerning the use of banned
substances.
Ethics in Athletics
• The athletic code of ethics helps protect
and promote the interests of athletics and
the coaching profession, primarily to clarify
and distinguish ethical practices from
those that are detrimental.
Education for athletes
• Athletes need to understand the inherent
dangers and risks associated with the use of
dietary supplements and performance
enhancers.
• The Healthy Competition Foundation is an
organization that seeks to educate young people
and their families about the potential health
dangers of performance-enhancing drugs and to
eliminate use of these drugs at all levels of
sports.