March/April 2020 - 36

Supplements
Before considering supplements for athletes, consider
that they might actually be getting enough of some or
all vitamins and minerals through their daily diet. Savvy
athletes typically take advantage of the latest fortified
foods on the market like cereals, beverages and snacks,
which may already have a high level of nutrients; extra
vitamins, minerals, and compounds added such as
antioxidants, electrolytes, omega-3 essential fats, energy
boosters etc. Sport shakes and bars often have 100% of
many of the vitamins and minerals, often more as in the
case of B vitamins.
The more foods one consumes with these extras, the
more likely they will not only be meeting daily micronutrient
needs, but potentially exceeding them, increasing the risk
for adverse reactions from excessive amounts. In addition,
interactions between nutrients can interfere with the
absorption and metabolism of each.
SUPPLEMENT SAVVY
Once it is determined that an athlete may benefit from
supplementation, what are the next steps? The IOC and
other resources in this article offer protocols and guidelines
for making intelligent supplement guidance decisions. The
best way to get started is to work with a sports dietitian
(RD/CSSD) to determine dietary adequacy, deficiency and
energy needs for the athlete's specific sport. The sports
dietitian can start by assessing the athlete's diet with
a three to seven day food log, processed with available
dietary analysis programs to determine whether a dietary
deficiency at least on paper exists.
If the sports dietitian determines that the athlete might
be at risk for a deficiency and the athlete is experiencing
symptoms associated with deficiency such as lethargy, illness
or repeated stress fractures, then a blood test may be advised
to determine if a vitamin or mineral deficiency actually exists.
If the deficiency is Vitamin D or Iron for example, depending
on the extent of the deficiency, a food or supplement protocol
can be implemented to correct the deficiency.
Our role as coaches, trainers and sports dietitians is to
educate and guide our athletes on safe supplementation;
when they are effective, what are the safest choices
and how much are reasonable doses to meet optimal
requirements for health and performance. By using
evidenced based resources, practical tools and working in a
team effort to determine the validity, efficacy and safety of
supplementation, we can keep our athletes safe and healthy
for sport and for life.
Lisa Dorfman, MS, RD, CSSD, CCMS, LMHC, FAND, The
Running Nutritionist® is an award winning Board Certified
Sports Dietitian, recipient of the '19 President's Council
on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition's Community Leadership
Award & '17 DIFM National Excellence in Practice Award
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified Chef and
Culinary Medicine Specialist, Certified Coach & Fellow
of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. A former
professional triathlete, Lisa was a member for TeamUSA
RESOURCES
Consumer Lab
https://www.consumerlab.com/
CPSDA
https://www.sportsrd.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/11/DietarySupplements-Fact-Sheet.pdf
Drug
Free Sport International
https://www.drugfreesport.
com/?s=supplements
FDA
https://www.fda.gov/food/dietarysupplements
Gatorade
Sports Science Institute
(GSSI)
https://www.gssiweb.org/en/
research/all/supplements
National Athletic Trainers
Association (NATA)
https://natajournals.org/doi/
pdf/10.4085/1062-6050-48.1.16
National Center for Drug Free Sport
https://www.drugfreesport.com/
National Federation of High School
Associations
https://www.nfhs.org/articles/
understanding-two-categoriesof-appearance-and-performanceenhancing-drugs-substances/
NCAA
http://www.ncaa.org/sport-scienceinstitute/dietary-supplements
NCAA
Banned Substances List
http://www.ncaa.org/sport-scienceinstitute/topics/2019-20-ncaabanned-substances
National
Strength & Conditioning
Association
https://www.nsca.com/
search/?searchQuery=supplements
NSF Certified for Sport®
Program
https://www.nsfsport.com/
Office of Dietary Supplements
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/
ExerciseAndAthleticPerformanceHealthProfessional/
Sports
and Cardiovascular
Nutritionists
HTTPS://www.Scandpg.org
Sports Dietitians of Australia
https://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/
section/supplements/
United States Anti-Doping Agency
(USADA)
https://www.usada.org/
World Anti-Doping Agency
(WADA)
https://www.wada-ama.org/
34 | Training & Conditioning | March/April 2020

https://www.consumerlab.com/ https://www.drugfreesport.com/ https://www.nsfsport.com/ https://www.sportsrd.org/wp https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/ https://www.nfhs.org/articles/ https://www.drugfreesport HTTPS://www.Scandpg.org http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science https://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/ https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science https://www.usada.org/ https://www.gssiweb.org/en/ https://www.nsca.com/ https://www.wada-ama.org/ https://www.natajournals.org/doi/

March/April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March/April 2020