IOC
Consensus Statement: Dietary Supplements and the High-Performance Athlete
Consensus Statement: Dietary Supplements and the High-Performance Athlete
Maughan RJ, Burke LM, Dvorak J,
Larson-Meyer DE, Peeling P, Phillips SM, Rawson ES, Walsh NP, Garthe I, Geyer H,
Meeusen R, van Loon LJC, Shirreffs SM, Spriet LL, Stuart M6, Vernec A, Currell
K, Ali VM, Budgett RG, Ljungqvist A, Mountjoy M,, Pitsiladis YP, Soligard T,
Erdener U, Engebretsen L. Br J Sports Med. 2018 Apr;52(7):439-455. doi:
10.1136/bjsports-2018-099027. Epub 2018 Mar 14.
Larson-Meyer DE, Peeling P, Phillips SM, Rawson ES, Walsh NP, Garthe I, Geyer H,
Meeusen R, van Loon LJC, Shirreffs SM, Spriet LL, Stuart M6, Vernec A, Currell
K, Ali VM, Budgett RG, Ljungqvist A, Mountjoy M,, Pitsiladis YP, Soligard T,
Erdener U, Engebretsen L. Br J Sports Med. 2018 Apr;52(7):439-455. doi:
10.1136/bjsports-2018-099027. Epub 2018 Mar 14.
The IOC has released a consensus
statement to “summarises the issues faced by high-performance athletes and
their support team (coach, trainer, nutritionist, physician) when considering the
use of supplements, with the goal of providing information to assist them to
make informed decisions.” The document offers a definition of “supplement” and
a summary of the prevalence of, and rationale for, use by athletes; assessing
the evidence base for supplement use; adverse effects; and practical
implications. The document also offers two decision trees to help reach an
informed decision. Some supplements that are specifically discussed include vitamin
D, iron, calcium, caffeine, creatine, and sodium bicarbonate.
statement to “summarises the issues faced by high-performance athletes and
their support team (coach, trainer, nutritionist, physician) when considering the
use of supplements, with the goal of providing information to assist them to
make informed decisions.” The document offers a definition of “supplement” and
a summary of the prevalence of, and rationale for, use by athletes; assessing
the evidence base for supplement use; adverse effects; and practical
implications. The document also offers two decision trees to help reach an
informed decision. Some supplements that are specifically discussed include vitamin
D, iron, calcium, caffeine, creatine, and sodium bicarbonate.
This IOC Consensus Statement was a great update on the latest information regarding dietary supplements in high-performance athletes. I thought the effects of caffeine were especially interesting because I don’t think I realized there was strong evidence to support caffeine’s beneficial effect on performance. I found the charts and graphs that explained the level of evidence for supplements and the effects they potentially have were clear and helpful. Overall, I agree that there are so many factors that need to be taken in account when it comes to supplement use in high-performance athletes.