Supplements and building a nutrition strategy

When it comes to performance in sport, athletes are always looking to find ways to improve and gain that extra centimeter, meter, second or points that will help them win. For a lot of athletes, this includes supplementation. However, with such a broad range of supplements on the market, it can be hard for athletes to determine which ones will be effective in improving their performance.

Building your nutritional pyramid as an athlete

When building a nutritional strategy, you can think of the strategy as a pyramid. Evaluate your diet from bottom to top – NOT the other way around!

Total energy consumption, macronutrients, micronutrients and fluids

At the bottom, you have a nutritionally adequate, balanced diet, which means you are consuming the correct amount of calories, macro- and micronutrients for your individual needs. Consuming foods from a variety of food groups, especially those with micronutrients and phytochemicals that benefits athletes, have a great impact on performance. This, for example, includes certain vitamins and probiotics, nitrates, ect. A registered dietitian or qualified nutrition professional can do a full assessment and determine what exactly that would mean for you, as individual. This level also contains healthy dietary habits and a good relationship with food.

Sports nutrition

On the next level is sports nutrition – specific dietary interventions that can add marginal gains to your performance, which can be the difference between running a personal best or just missing the spits, or failing to make the winning move. This includes nutrient timing practices, training the gut, sports nutrition products (like bars and gels) and fueling in a way and perhaps specific sports products that maximizes recovery.

Then, at the very tip of the pyramid, comes the supplements.

First of all, it is important to realise what a supplement really is. Doctor Asker Jeukendrup, one of the world’s leading experts in sports nutrition, does a great job of explaining it on his blog (www.mysportscience.com):

“The term supplement indicates that this is something that should be used to “supplement” the diet, not replace it, nor should it be the main focus. One general lesson that can be learned from sport, is that there are no quick fixes. Success demands effort. There are no quick fixes.”

Supplements are not supposed to “make up” for poor dietary choices or an insufficient diet (except if used as a short-term intervention when there are limited other options available). And it is very important to note that there are a risk of substances that may test positive for doping to be present in a lot of products being sold as supplements – even in supplements not containing ingredients on the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) list of banned substances. That’s because cross-contamination can occur while the supplement is being produced. Therefore, it is YOUR responsibility as athlete to:

1. Check that the product you are using does not contain ingredients that is on the WADA list of banned substances.
2. Use products that have been subjected to one of the available quality assurance schemes.
3. Realise that there will always be a risk to using supplements, regardless. You can minimise the risk of testing positive by choosing certified products, but not eliminate it.

How do I know what I am using is not on the banned list?

I strongly advise any athlete to, prior to using ANY form of supplement or medicine, even if prescribed by a coach, physio, doctor or any health professional to visit the World Anti Doping Agency’s website (www.wada-ama.org), and type in the ingredient that you are unsure is safe to use in the “search” bar appearing on the website. There are also links to see which substances are banned at all times, banned in competition periods and banned in specific sports. Alternatively, you can download the WADA app on your smartphone for a quick, easy way to see if what you are consuming is safe.

Here is the link to the prohibited list if you want to check it out: : https://www.wada-ama.org/en/prohibited-list

What about young athletes?

In general, young athletes (under 18) are discouraged to from using supplements except when a full evaluation of the athlete’s nutritional status was done by a qualified nutrition professional like a sports dietitian and suggests that it is necessary.

Remember, there is no supplement that can EVER be as effective in improving performance, especially young athletes, as nutritional adequacy, hard work and improvement of skills, and physical maturation.

In general, use of supplements by young athletes is discouraged except when full evaluation of nutritional status suggests that it is warranted.

The takeaway

As an athlete, you should first ask yourself: What changes do I need to make to my dietary intake to reach my goals? Then, what interventions and sports products can help me in training and competition?

After those questions are answered, you can ask what supplements can be used as the “cherry on top” for performance, and whether it is science-based, safe and appropriate for YOUR specific sport.

References:

Jeukendrup, A. 2015. How would you construct a pyramid? http://www.mysportscience.com/single-post/2015/03/18/How-would-you-construct-a-pyramid. Date of access: 2019-02-04