by Jack A. Medina, M.A. and Roy E. Vartabedian, Dr.P.H.

June 11, 2007


It's interesting--if an athlete takes a supplement and feels better, or performance improves, they assume the "supplement did all the work". However, proof only comes when the same result can be duplicated again and again; but if the athlete thinks this "miraculous" pill caused positive results it is difficult to convince them otherwise. The question is: what caused the change--the supplement itself or the athlete thinking it did?

The manufacturers of most nutritional supplements will tell you how wonderful their supplement is and how it will improve athletic performance. If you believe this, the placebo effect starts and performance may improve.


Separate Fact From Fantasy

Good research attempts to separate fact from fantasy and is done with double-blind studies where athletes are given either the actual supplement or a placebo that looks and tastes like the supplement. Double-blind means neither the researcher nor the athlete knows what is being taken until the end of the study when the special "research code" is revealed. If those taking the supplement improve performance and those taking the placebo don't, the researchers may be onto something positive. If both groups improve, it's probably the "placebo" effect or simply the effects of regular training.

Unfortunately this isn't as easy as it sounds and researchers can spend years researching a supplement and still not get an answer. In the meantime, manufacturers make claims without fact. But considering the fact that as little as a one percent improvement can mean the difference between winning a Gold Medal and finishing out of the top 20, it isn't surprising that athletes will try anything that may improve performance.


9 Tips for Evaluating Supplements for Athletes

1. Is there any third-party, randomized, double-blind, crossover, peer reviewed, published research on this supplement?

Most supplements have not been researched with healthy athletes.

2. If there is research, has it been published in a peer-reviewed, scientific journal?

Most manufacturers rely on articles written about their product. However these are not research, they are simply articles.

3. If there is research, is it relevant to the athlete?

Many supplement manufacturers cite research that is unrelated to the claims being made about the product. As an example, one food bar claims to assist in body fat loss, yet none of the research references cited to support its claims actually demonstrated any weight loss capabilities.

4. If there is a patent on this supplement, what does it mean?

It means the patent holders usually do most of the research because they directly benefit from future sales. You can bet their research is going to show positive results. But independent research is rarely published--guess why? No positive results.

5. Is most of the research from only one researcher or laboratory?

The true value of a supplement can only be determined if many researchers from different laboratories work independently to evaluate the product under different conditions.

6. Has the research been performed with athletes in normal training or competition circumstances?

Just because a product has shown benefits for people with heart disease or nutritional deficiency, doesn't mean the same benefits are true for fit athletes.

7. Some research may show positive benefits from a supplement; is there any research showing "no effect" or possible dangerous side effects?

If one research paper shows a positive effect, but 10 others show no effect, it would be unprofessional and unethical to promote the positive results while not mentioning that most of the research shows no positive effect.

8. Have other independent scientists, sports nutritionists, sports dietitians, sports institutes or sports medicine groups made positive comments about this supplement?

9. Will you benefit from using this supplement?

Research showing positive benefit for elite athletes does not necessarily mean the same results will occur in the recreational athlete.


We Have Testimonials!

Be aware that many supplement manufacturers or providers do not like being asked questions because they won't have valid answers. They rely on testimonials as proof. Your decision to use or not use needs to be an informed one, not one made because a friend or teammate told you about it.

Frequently the argument for using a supplement is based on poor logic or none at all. One example of this would be using "Royal Jelly" from the Queen Bee because it's a mixture of pollen and secretions from the glands of worker bees. This is why she grows to be twice as large as regular bees and lives a lot longer. This is great for the bees but what does this have to do with humans? Based on this logic we should be eating antelope since the cheetah is the fastest land animal and it feeds on antelope. Or, more plankton for swimmers because the fastest marine animal is the killer whale. This logic doesn't make any sense, but it sells product.

A powerful marketing tool is getting testimonials from famous athletes. These athletes oftentimes don't have time to earn money to pay their expenses because they spend so many hours training. As a result, they are willing to try supplements and endorse them to earn some money. It doesn't mean their decision to endorse this product is based on good science.


Lastly..What's In It?

You can never be sure the supplement actually contains the ingredients stated. Even more alarming is that some have ingredients not declared on the label. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) says around 20% of nutritional supplements have undeclared ingredients that could lead to a positive doping result. In fact, the WADA warns: "Most supplement manufacturers make claims about their products that are not backed by valid scientific research and they rarely advise the consumer about potential adverse side effects. The supplement industry is a money-making venture and athletes should get proper help to distinguish marketing strategies from reality."