Many athletes willingly acknowledged that they ingest over-the-counter, supplemental vitamins in order to enhance their performance. Based upon the article provided for you, I would like for each of you to discuss and justify your stance on this issue. Do we need to take high volumes of supplemental vitamins in order to obtain more energy and live healthier lives, or can a natural diet achieve the same outcome? Please use facts in your article to reinforce your position.
{{Disclaimer: Brian, are you SURE you want me on this particular soapbox today? You are in for a serious dissertation on the topic. You've been warned.....lol}}
From my personal experience, I would say that those who take supplements do so for a few reasons: 1) a coach/athletic trainer suggests it (mind you neither of these people have necessarily taken a basic nutrition class much less one that focuses on the unique dietary requirements of a particular athlete; 2) a doctor suggests it (see #1); 3) the athlete has read magazines that advertise/discuss said supplements (which I might add, some magazines are essentially supplemental advertisements and this is a $2,000,000,000/year industry based on advertising and little science to back up the efficacy of said supplements) and, of course, 4) their friends are doing it. My hope is that more people will be educated on basic nutrition and the more specialized/specific nutritional requirements of various athletes. I also hope that as food becomes more of a priority, people will get away from all this processed crap (again, a gazillioin $$ industry for suckers) and focus on the new "super foods" (aka, fruits, vegetables, dairy, animal proteins), our nutritional requirements will be met.
The IOC cautions athletes against the indiscriminate use of dietary supplements as this approach to achieving adequate nutrient intake is normally only a short-term option and does not compensate for an inadequate diet and/or poor food choices. (page 18) Earlier in the article (page 3), they cite inadequate finances, busy lifestyle leading resulting in inadequate time to prepare a nutritious meal, frequent travel, and poor nutritional knowledge among the factors leading to the "necessity" of supplements. On page 7 of the IOC article, there are many examples citing the importance of key minerals as well as suggestions for getting them into your diet without the use of supplements. In their official consensus statement of 2003, they caution against the indiscriminate use of supplements as using them does not address why they are deficient in the first place (poor diet). In addition, the ADA article has 3 pages (515-517) giving great detail about the importance of several minerals while talking specifically about supplements later in the article (page 520). In fact, the ADA article gives a great deal of information regarding the usage of supplements that I would hope (notice I'm not "assuming") would be "common knowledge" or common sense (which is, unfortunately, not usually "common"). They address the United Stets passage of the Dietary Supplements and Health Education Act of 1994 that allows supplement manufacturers to make health claims regarding the effect of products on body structure or function............As long as a special supplement label indicates the active ingredients and the entire ingredients lists is provided, claims for enhanced performance can be made, valid or not. The FDA, it turns out, is only responsible for evaluating and enforcing safety. (Having worked in pharmaceuticals, I can attest that the FDA can be a royal PITA. On the other hand, the FDA saved us from many birth defects in the 1960s when they didn't approve the morning-sickness drug, Thalidomide.) Canada, it appears from the ADA article, has a much tighter rein on this whole area, than we do in the U.S. The ADA continues in the section about supplements to list several things that sports dietitians should consider (mind you, most athletes, coaches, and athletic trainers don't consult with these specialists). Just as in the IOC article, the ADA cites the same issues concerning supplements: contamination of dietary supplements and ergogenic aids with banned or nonpermissable (sic) substances. The ADA does acknowledge the various athletic boards and regulating agencies both in the U.S. and Canada that have jurisdiction over these issues surrounding use of supplements. The continue by stating teh sports nutrition professionals keep an open mind when working with elite athletes to effectively assess, recommend, educate, and monitor athletes who contemplate using or actively take dietary supplements and/or ergogenic aids. (page 521)
Nonetheless, I am admittedly against the use of these aids because they do not alleviate the underlying cause(s) for the deficiencies in the first place. I truly believe that as a society, we have gotten incredibly lazy in that we want quick results in whatever happens to interest us at the moment. It would seem, as I've said before, that if we are going to spend $100-200 on shoes, $100 on appropriate training wear, $200+ on gear for a sport, we should be a WAY more invested in the actual equipment known as our body and what gets put into it. I'm totally baffled that athletes will spend hundreds of dollars on gear but not invest the time and money to appropriately and adequately nourish their body. It seems we want quick results and we are willing to pay top dollar for those quick results regardless the cost to our long-term health. Make no mistake, many of these protein powders and ergogenic aids are relatively new on the market (last 10-15 years for the average high school or "weekend warrior") so the long-term consequences of using these aids, which is where my concern really lies. History is in my favor, however. I initially took a nutrition class in 1984 for my nursing degree (switched to biology later). At that time, food companies were starting to create reduced fat and low-fat foods. Fat substitutes were even used (remember Olestra?). The idea was that if we got rid of evil fats from our diet, we would lose weight and be healthier. I asked my professor if this would perhaps lead to widespread obesity; she concurred this was a likely outcome. Did we get healthier? No, instead, we ate the ENTIRE bag of Ruffles and increased our food consumption. Now, nearly thirty years later we have record numbers of not just obese but morbidly obese people and diabetes is our latest healthcare crisis.
