Should athletes use supplements?

The supplement market is huge, targeting athletes of all ages and abilities, often portraying products as beneficial to performance. However, not all supplements enhance performance, and some may cause harm or violate WADA anti-doping regulations. Often, supplements contain additional ingredients to enhance taste or texture, which may not always be clearly labeled. This lack of transparency makes it difficult to determine the legitimacy and safety of certain products.

Athletes may take supplements to address a vitamin or mineral deficiency, like vitamin C or iron, or to tackle energy deficits through products like energy bars. Other athletes may target improvements in lean muscle mass and take whey protein or boost overall performance and recovery from exercise, with creatine.

At a minimum, athletes should only use supplements that have been batch-tested and certified by Informed Sport, as they are ultimately responsible for any prohibited substances they may unknowingly consume.

https://www.ais.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1061079/AIS-Supplement-Framework-ABCD-System_v4.pdf