SUMMARY

DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS

If a safety concern arises with a supplement sold in the US, the FDA has the burden of proving the supplement is unsafe before it can be removed from the market.

Contamination and poor quality are common problems affecting a disconcertingly large percentage of supplements.

In terms of quality, herbals are near the top of the list of worst offenders.

Athletes subject to doping tests should only use supplements that have been independently tested by organizations like NSF International and Informed-Choice.

Because they often contain ingredients with stimulant-like properties, weight-loss aids and energy boosters are some of the most dangerous products.

Probiotics and bovine colostrum may reduce the incidence and/or severity of URTIs in athletes.

Probiotics, bovine colostrum, and glutamine may all be capable of reducing gut permeability with exercise, though carbohydrate beverages are probably equally as effective and cheaper.

Although ginger has documented anti-nausea properties for motion sickness, chemotherapy, and pregnancy, its ability to prevent nausea and vomiting during and after exercise has yet to be evaluated.

Caffeine and sodium bicarbonate are performance-enhancing substances, but they can also cause unpleasant gut symptoms in some athletes.

The gut symptoms associated with sodium bicarbonate ingestion can be minimized by taking it with carbohydrate two hours before competition or by using a multiday supplementation protocol.

Although ketone supplements are becoming popular, they haven’t been shown to improve endurance performance in most situations, which may largely be due to their propensity to cause nausea and other gut symptoms.