As a Registered Dietitian and Sports Nutrition Coach for high-performing young athletes, I often get this question: “Hey Coach Nicole, should I be taking supplements?”
My answer: “It depends.”
I’ll tell you why.
Should Athletes Take Supplements?
According to Oxford Dictionaries, the very definition of the word supplement is “something that completes or enhances something else when added to it.”
Now look at the definition of the word replacement: “the action or process of removing one thing and putting something different in its place.”
With nutrition supplements, it is common for the words supplement and replacement to be used interchangeably; however, you can see, by definition, that doesn’t make sense.
Nutrition supplements complete or enhance your DIET when added to it … sometimes.
When it comes to athletic performance, before we even discuss supplementation, it’s very important to begin emphasizing whole food nutrition during the high school years.
Once a solid foundation is established, then we can consider what may be supplemented to enhance it.
When it comes to my high school athletes, I typically begin with basics like why nutrition is important both in the short- and long-term and what a regular diet should consist of.
From this knowledge, we build behaviors like cooking and food preparation to promote self-efficacy.
Throughout this process from knowledge to self-efficacy, a level of maturity is achieved that lends itself to the responsible use of nutrition supplements.
Once a young athlete reaches this point, then we can start discussing supplement use.
When we start discussing supplement use, safety is of the utmost importance and begins with the supplements’ contents.
What Athletes Need to Know About Supplementation
Did you know nutrition supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)? This means that supplement companies are not held accountable to the ingredients, both in the supplement and on the label.
In simpler terms, the supplement companies can put what they want in a supplement, and label it how they want. This could lead to ingestion of dangerous compounds, or harmless compounds that don’t do anything the supplement claims it can.
When athletes are governed by organizations like the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the International Olympic Committee, they get tested for drug use. Unregulated supplements can lead to positive results on a drug test.
If an athlete gets a positive drug test, they could (and likely will) lose a certain amount of eligibility in their sport. With this risk, it’s very important to be cautious about which supplements you purchase and ingest.
When shopping for supplements, purchase those that contain any of the following labels on the packaging:
- NSF Certification
- USP product verification
- Banned Substances Control Group certification
- Informed Sport
These labels signify that the supplement has been third-party tested for adulteration. This means someone unaffiliated with the company and without biases takes random samples to ensure the supplement company is producing and labeling appropriately.
Questions Athletes Should Ask Before Taking Supplements
If you’re considering a supplement for your high school athlete, please keep in mind the following:
Why are you supplementing?
- You must have a purpose in mind, it can’t be random.
- Have you been diagnosed with a vitamin or mineral deficiency by a Doctor?
- Are you having difficulty getting enough protein?
- Do you want assistance with improving stamina?
How is your current diet?
- Taking supplements does not make up for a poor diet.
- Many compounds in supplements can be found in food.
Is the supplement you’re considering safe?
- Supplements can contain banned substances not listed in the ingredients.
- Look for an approved, third-party tested product.
Have you talked to a Registered Dietitian about taking supplements?
- A sound diet foundation should be a priority before supplement use.
- Work with a Registered Dietitian for a food-first approach to correct any deficiencies or make performance improvements.
