PRORehab Library

The Discerning Athlete: Are We Equipping Them?

“These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease”. Words like these can almost always be found in fine print on the bottom of glossy, air brushed advertisements in any mainstream “nutritional” outlet store. The endorsements of well-known athletes and the theatrical “before” and “after” pictures add to the illusion of store-bought celebrity. Pick up any health magazine and try to discern the fact from marketing hype; it can be a perplexing chore, even to the most informed consumer. So the question remains, how do we help our student athletes discern the hype from the facts? What are the best ways to inform them of these important aspects of sport performance? A two-fold approach is needed to equip our athletes with the nutritional information and self-awareness they need to be successful. This article is part one in a two part series looking at the root causes of and the appropriate responses to this nutritional ignorance among our student athletes. Below, this article will address the reasons why we are seeing this epidemic in American amateur athletics where teen usage of nutritional supplements and other enhancement drugs are at record rates .

In any athletic and competitive culture much focus is placed on the search for a competitive edge. Finding a supplement or vital nutrient that will repair muscle tissue faster, increase vertical jump or evade the symptoms of fatigue has become the focus of many young aspiring athletes. Quite often in their quest for the perfect performance, however, athletes can easily get caught up in the hype surrounding various substances or methods and the alleged benefits they may bestow. Thereby, placing not only their performance in danger, but also potentially allowing their health to be seriously compromised.

Arguably, the media is one of the most powerful and lucrative institutions in this day and age. Their influence crosses a spectrum of outlets including digital, print, radio and television. The general public and athletes alike are daily bombarded and solicited by these channels. Especially, that wonderful source of un-scrutinized and at times misrepresented information, the Internet. Twelve issues of popular health and bodybuilding magazines were studied to determine the prevalence of advertising for nutritional supplements . The study uncovered advertising promotions for 89 brands of 311 products (29%), with a listing of 235 unique ingredients. These magazines are an extremely popular source of information for young athletes who desire answers or advice regarding their nutrition and performance.

As equally dangerous as the authenticity of information contained in these magazines, etc. is the unrealistic portrayal of male and female body images. This portrayal endorses and cultivates the viewers’/readers’ “easy way out” or store-bought celebrity mentality. Insinuating, that certain supplements can improve an athlete’s performance by making them faster or increasing their overall strength, without having to increase work output on the field or in the weight room. Often supplements are promoted in expensive advertising campaigns that involve well-known and distinguished celebrity athletes, which only increases an athlete’s interest in them.

While the media exploits a certain and very desirable body image to young athletes, an individual’s self-assessment of their diet compared to their athletic performance must also be addressed. For an athlete, a low assessment of their diet as it relates to their performance, serves as a tremendous motivating factor for the introduction of nutritional supplements into their diet as insurance against possible deficiency . Mental perception coupled with tainted and often at times misrepresented information, can be a mountainous obstacle to overcome for anyone, especially our youth.

Understandably, athletes place considerable demands and excessive strain on their bodies every day they train and compete. Therefore, their daily life activities and bodies should be a reflection of these demands. Nevertheless, too often athletes spend considerable time and energy perfecting skills and attaining top physical condition, that they ignore the value of proper nutrition and sleep. The combination of poor nutrition and deficiencies in sleep quite often lead to poor and/ or deteriorating performance. Optimal physical performance requires a careful dietary balance of all the essential nutrients and adequate rest. It is essential that the athlete be educated on the indispensable requirements their body needs in order to maintain peak performance. Similarly, they must realize the cooperative relationship between nutrition and performance. Equipping our young student athletes with current and up-to-date information about all nutritional supplements is crucial. As a result, a challenge is presented to all individuals and professionals in contact with our student athletes; they must be prepared to field questions and have open lines of communication regarding the use of supplements.
As one Sports Medicine Doctor put it: “It is possible that increased activity, hard workouts in the gym, good practice on the field of play, plus multivitamins and a balanced diet, can achieve results equivalent to these very highly touted and expensive supplements”






Taken from a creatine advertisement on www.gnc.com

2 Levine, Jeff WebMD. www.simmons.edu/shs/about/news/nutritional/2003/supp.shtml

3 Schwenk, Thomas L. MD & Costley, Chad D. MD The American Journal of Sports Medicine When Food Becomes A Drug: Nonanabolic Nutritional Supplement Use in Athletes. Vol. 30, no. 6 2002

4 Schwenk, Thomas L. MD & Costley, Chad D. MD

5 Leach, Robert E. MD The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Editorial Vol. 27, no 3 1999

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