sports nutritional supplements survey

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It gets confusing. One study tells you that beta-carotene supplements reduce your risk of cancer. Another reveals that the same compound might increase your risk. And yet another finds no relationship at all between beta-carotene intake and the deadly disease.

And, as you study the supplement situation in greater depth, you find that controversy is not confined to beta-carotene. For example, one piece of research reveals that vitamin-E supplements help athletes recover more quickly from strenuous workouts and also thwart free-radical damage to muscle fibres, yet two other quality studies reveal no linkage between vitamin E and recovery. A different investigation links vitamin-E supplements with a reduced risk of heart attack, yet the same research reveals that there are actually more deaths among the vitamin-E takers!
Understandably, you may end up feeling very befogged. On the one hand, it seems sensible to hedge one's bets and take those supplements which might confer a health advantage, but on the other hand supplements are quite costly and may do little more than enrich one's urine - or, worst-case scenario, actually increase the risk of getting ill. Few athletes have the time or the background required to evaluate the supplement research in depth and make wise decisions.

For that reason, we thought it would be illuminating to ask leading people in the sports-nutrition field what they take. These are all people who follow the supplement research carefully, and in many cases they have actually carried out some of the investigations themselves. They simply know more than anyone else about the advantages and disadvantages of supplement use.

To find out what these top-level people actually think about nutritional supplements, we asked each of them two questions:
1. Do you take any nutritional supplements?
2. If so, which ones do you take, and why do you take them?
We think you will find their answers, detailed below, to be very illuminating.

Mel Williams, Ph.D., is considered the 'godfather' of sports-supplement research in the United States. His books, Nutrition for Fitness and Sport, Ergogenic Aids in Sports, and Drugs and Athletic Performance are considered by many to be the authoritative guides to sports-relevant nutritional supplementation. Mel, a professor at Old Dominion University, had the following answers for us:
'My diet is primarily plant-based; most animal foods are fish and poultry, so I consider it a rather healthy diet. It is also a relatively low fat diet; some days the fat content is less than 10 per cent of dietary calories. However, I do take 400 IU of vitamin E daily. Although the health benefits of vitamin-E supplementation have not been conclusively determined, I believe there are sufficient data to merit supplementation with 400 IU as one ages, not for sports-performance benefits but for possible health benefits. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, so a diet low in fat may also be low in vitamin E, unless one consumes some products like cereals which are fortified with vitamin E.'
Mitch Kanter, Ph.D., is a highly respected nutritional researcher at the Gatorade Sport Science Institute in Barrington, Illinois. He has conducted extensive research into the effects of antioxidant supplementation in endurance athletes, and his outstanding review article, 'Free Radicals, Exercise, and Antioxidant Supplementation' (International Journal of Sport Nutrition, vol. 4, pp. 205-220, 1994) is a highly valued reference point for many researchers in the field. Here's what he had to say:
'I have a multi-vitamin supplement bottle and a bottle of antioxidant vitamins (E, C, and beta-carotene) on my desk. I don't take them religiously, though. I usually take one of each, maybe three or four times per week. I'm certainly not fanatical about it.

'In general, I'm not a big proponent of supplement use. While I don't always practise what I preach, I think athletes are better off just eating healthy foods. The burgeoning nutra-ceutical (or functional-food) concept suggests that there are nutrients in food (some yet-to-be-discovered, others that are known but not well researched) that may impart health benefits. For example, there are antioxidants in oats, genestein in soy products, and lycopene in tomatoes, just to name a few. The actual benefits of these and many other nutrients are not well known, but their potential is great.

'If you take a supplement in pill form, you get what you are taking, and nothing more. A vitamin-E capsule contains vitamin E - period. That is not inherently bad. However, healthy grains, fruits, and vegetables contain many nutrients, some that we know about and others that we will eventually learn about through scientific discovery. I believe we have a lot to learn about the nutritional value of certain foods. If you develop a 'pill-popping' mentality and become lax about eating a wide variety of healthful foods, you may be missing out on many important nutrients.'
Rich Kreider, Ph.D., is associate professor and assistant department chairperson in the Department of Human Movement Sciences and Education at the University of Memphis in Tennessee. Along with Paul Greenhaff at the University of Nottingham in England and Eric Hultman at Huddinge University Hospital in Sweden, Kreider is considered one of the world's leading experts on the effects of creatine-monohydrate supplementation in both strength and endurance athletes. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and is an advisor to the University of Memphis athletic teams. Here's how he replied to our questions:
'I do take nutritional supplements - but only when I am training hard. During periods of strenuous strength training, I take Phosphagain (a creatine plus amino-acid supplement) once or twice per day (in the morning and/or at night) or Phosphagen HP (a creatine-glucose combination), usually after a workout. I can't take too much, because I put on weight fast!
'I use EAS products, mainly because they are quality supplements, and we usually have them left over from our research studies. I have also used AminoFuel and RipFuel from Twinlabs.

'For triathlon training and competition, I take Phosphagain or Aminofuel once or twice per day. Before each race, I carbo-load for three to four days with 100 to 150 grams of maltodextrin and take Phosphagen HP (5 grams creatine + 35 grams glucose) three times a day for three to four days. I also load with sodium phosphate (4 to 8 grams per day of PhosFuel from Twinlabs) for three to four days before competitions. On race day, I have a light carbohydrate meal and take Phosphagain about three to four hours before the start. I also take two grams of sodium phosphate each hour until one hour before race time. About 90 minutes before the race, I also drink a strong cup of coffee for caffeine.

'I have also used BCAA (branched-chain amino acid)/glutamine capsules (three to six grams before and after workouts) but more recently have just taken Phosphagain or AminoFuel before workouts, since they also have BCAA and glutamine.

'I usually will try things if studies from our lab or others show effectiveness. I may serve as a my own lab rat to see if I notice an effect. If I think something has enough scientific rationale for usage, I will usually give it a try.'
Liz Applegate, Ph.D., is the nutrition editor of Runner's World magazine, a sports nutritionist on the faculty of the University of California-Davis, and the author of the popular book Power Foods. She was a pro triathlete for many years and now competes in bike races, works out with a swim team, and completes over 50 pull-ups a day! Here's what she had to say:
'I use a multi-vitamin with minerals and take this every other day. I also ingest 500 mg of vitamin C and 400 IU of vitamin E every other day. I also use sports drinks and bars, but I don't take creatine or anything else along those lines. I take the multi-vitamin capsule, C, and E every other day rather than every day because my diet is pretty good - and I just don't like taking supplements.'
Dr. E. Randy Eichner, M.D., follows the nutritional-supplement research as closely as any mortal, is team physician for the University of Oklahoma, and has published widely in scientific journals on a variety of nutritional topics. Taking a slightly more sceptical view of supplements, he said:
'Hope for magic springs eternal in the human breast (and beast). Ask an audience of 100 scientists/physicians whether they take antioxidant supplements, and 60 or 70 will raise their hands. Ask them whether they prescribe the same for their patients, and most hands go down. Why? Because the science supporting the supplement use is not in, or is in but weak. At this point in time, taking supplements is based more on personality than wisdom. Those who take vitamin E, for instance, take it not because they are sure it works but because they can't think of any reason not to.

'As for me, by nature, I wait for the science. So I don't take supplements. Here's how I view it: creatine may work for repeated, explosive bouts, although many studies now coming out are negative. At least it seems safe.

'Chromium is a sham. Protein supplements are also a sham, because most athletes, especially men, are already getting more protein than they need from their regular diets. Carnitine has struck out. The average female athlete may need more iron and zinc than she gets in her diet, but the average male athlete often needs less, and in any case, you don't really need iron unless you're anaemic.

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