PROSPER: Safer Supplement use Project

Supplement use is prevalent in ~85% of athletes, with multiple consumption being common. Although the majority of 12 – 21-year-old athletes in the UK (78%) do not believe nutritional supplementation necessary to be successful in sport, almost half reported using at least one supplement. Performance based improvements, such as maintenance of strength, endurance enhancements, the ability to train longer and recovery better have been associated with supplement use. Other reasons for supplement consumption include, being an ‘insurance policy’ for an imbalanced diet and to avoid illness, convenience and because everyone else is doing it.

However, athletes who use dietary supplements may be associated with an accepting attitude of doping at a later stage where the prevalence of doping is higher in supplement users than in athletes who do not use supplements. Additionally, there is a risk of inadvertent doping due to supplement contamination or adulteration, which can still result in a significant ban from sport (i.e., 2 years). As such, it is important to raise awareness of this and support our athletes in making informed choices, as well as engaging them in strategies to assess the need and minimise the risks associated with supplement use.