Download WIAA Position Statement – Performance Enhancing Supplements

WIAAPositionStatement–PerformanceEnhancingSupplements
Note:Thispolicystatementisrelatedtouseofdietarysupplements.Forinformationonsteroiduse,seethe
WIAASteroidPolicy.
TheWIAAstronglyopposestheuseofsupplementsbyhighschoolathletesforperformanceenhancementdue
tothelackofpublishedscientificresearchthatdocumentsthebenefitsand/orrisksofsupplementuse,
particularlyinadolescents.Supplementsshouldonlybeusedontheadviceofone’shealthcareproviderfor
health-relatedreasons;notforthepurposeofgainingapossiblecompetitiveadvantage.Schoolpersonneland
coachesshouldneverrecommend,endorse,orencouragetheuseofanysupplement,drug,ormedicationfor
performanceenhancementtoastudentathlete.
Productstypicallypromotedasperformanceenhancinginclude:dietaryornutritionalsupplements,ergogenic
aids,healthsupplementsorsportsupplements.Whilesomemainstreamsupplementsaremadebyresponsible
manufacturers,agrowingnumberofproductscontaindangerousandhiddeningredients,includingsteroidsand
pro-hormones.Inmakingadecisiontouseasupplement,severalfactorsshouldbeconsidered.
• EvaluatingSupplementsforDiscouragedorBannedSubstances:Supplementsarenotregulatedlike
drugs,foodormedication.Supplementcompaniesdonothavetofollowthesame“truthinlabeling”
regulationsasforfoodormedication.Supplementlabelsarenotrequiredtolistalltheingredientsin
theproductandcanomitlistingingredientsthatareinabottle.Agrowingnumberofproductscontain
dangerousandundisclosedingredients,includingsteroids,stimulantsanddangerousdrugs.Proprietary
ingredientsarea“companysecret”anddonothavetobelistedonthelabel.Tominimizetheriskof
takingasupplementthatcontainsabannedingredient,visittheNFSCertifiedforSportwebsite
http://www.nsfsport.com/orInformedChoicehttp://www.informed-choice.org/foralistingof
supplementsthathavebeentestedforpurityandpotency.
• HealthConsequences:Supplementproductshavebeenknowntobecontaminatedwithbannedor
harmfulingredients.Takingsupplementswithdangeroushiddendrugssuchasdesignersteroidshas
beenaknowncauseofliverinjury,stroke,kidneyfailure,andpulmonaryembolism.Supplement
productswithhiddenstimulantscancauseirregularheartrhythm,increasedbloodpressure,stroke,
evendeath.
• Contamination:Supplementscanaccidentallycontainbannedordiscouragedingredientsduetocrosscontaminationwhenmanufacturingequipmentisn’tcleanedproperlybetweenbatchesofproducts.In
othercasesmanufacturerswillspikeaproductwithstimulantsorpro-hormoneswithoutlistingthemon
thelabeltodeceivetheathletesthattheproductwillcausebiggainswhileclaimingtheproductis“all
natural”or“legal.”
• Sourcesofinformation:Supplementstorestafforcompanydistributorsgetpaidbysellingaproduct.
Theyarewell-trainedtosellthemostpopularproductwiththebiggestprofitmargin.Thestaff
generallymaynothavetraininginnutrition,biochemistryorpharmacology.Inaddition,theymaynot
knoworunderstandWIAArules/regulationsofsupplementusebyathletes.Asupplement/productthat
is“legal”forthecompanytoselltotheathlete,however,maynotbeallowedforanathletetouse.
•
Testimonialsfromprofessionalathletes:Supplementcompaniesfrequentlyadvertisetheirproducts
withtestimonialsfromprofessionalathletesorwell-knownsportsfigures.Thesetestimonialsarenot
proofthatasupplementworks.Athleteswhoarepaidtoendorseaproductaregenerallyattheendof
theircareeranddidnotusethesupplementwhentheywereyoungandtrainingtobecomesuccessful.
•
Pre-WorkoutBoosters:Theseproductsclaimtoprovideincreasedenergyandenduranceforaworkout.
Supplementsinthiscategorygenerallycontainseveralsourcesofstimulants–manynotlistedonthe
label–thataffecttheheartandbloodpressureandcancauseserioushealthconsequences.Inaddition,
thiscategoryofproductshasahistoryofcontaininghiddenbannedsupplements,includingillegalprohormonesandsteroids.Useofpre-workoutboostershascausedmanyathletestofaildrugtests,be
suspendedfromcompetition,andhasbeenrelatedtoseveraldeaths.
•
ProteinPowders:Mostdietssupplyadequateprotein.However,incaseswhereathletescan’teat
enoughfoodorwhenproteinneedsarehigherthannormal,limitedsupplementationmaybeneeded.
Inthesecases,aphysicianorsportdietitianconsultationmaybehelpful.Ifextraproteinisneeded,read
labelscarefully.Proteinpowdersmaycontaindiscouragedorbannedingredientsnotlistedonthelabel.
A2007studybyInformedChoiceLabsrandomlyselected50proteinpowdersofftheshelvesofwellknownsupplementstores.Theyfoundthat25%ofthepowderscontainedanabolicsteroids.In
addition11%oftheproteinpowderstestedpositiveforstimulantsnotlistedonthelabel.Lookfor
labelsthatlistproteinasthefirstingredient,havefewaddedingredientsanddonotclaimtobe“mass
builders”.Ifyoucan’tpronounceingredientslistedonthelabeldon’ttakeit.
Theprimaryreasonstudent-athleteschoosetousesupplementsaretogainmassandweight,getstronger,
reducebodyfat,andhavemoreenergy.Studentathleteswhowanttoimproveathleticperformanceshould
focusongoodtrainingstrategies,agooddiet,andprovenrecoverystrategiesthatstressthe4“R’s”:rest,refuel,
rehydrate,andrepair.Inthevastmajorityofcases,afewchangestothestudent-athleteeatinghabitswilllead
tomusclegrowth,fatloss,improvedstrengthandfasterrecovery.
ForacopyoftheWIAAPerformanceEnhancingSupplementandBannedSubstancesPolicyvisit
http://www.wiaawi.org/Portals/0/PDF/Health/performanceenhancers.pdf
NationalInstitutesofHealthCenterforComplementaryandIntegrativeHealth
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/supplements/wiseuse.htm
TrueSportNutritionGuide
http://www.truesport.org/library/documents/resources/nutrition_guide/NutritionGuide.pdf
NSFCertifiedforSporthttp://www.nsfsport.com/
USADADietarySupplementandSafetyEducationhttp://www.usada.org/substances/supplement-411
InformedChoicehttp://www.informed-choice.org/
DrugFreeSporthttp://www.drugfreesport.com/
AmericanCollegeofSportMedicine–ProteinIntakeorMuscleMaintenance
http://www.acsm.org/docs/default-source/brochures/protein-intake-for-optimal-muscle-maintenance.pdf
AmericanCollegeofSportMedicine–SelectingandusingSportDrinks,CarbohydrateGels,andEnergyBars
http://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/selecting-and-effectively-using-sports-drinks-carbohydrate-gels-andenergy-bars.pdf?sfvrsn=2
TaylorHootonFoundationhttp://taylorhooton.org/minimising-the-risk-of-taking-contaminated-supplements/
NationalFederationofHighSchoolSportsSupplementPositionStatementhttp://www.nfhs.org/sportsresource-content/supplements-position-statement/