NUTRITION
To Supplement or Not? Gillian Woodward
WHEN asked why they use dietary/nutritional supplements, most athletes would give one of the following reasons: 1. to meet the extra energy/nutrient demands induced by heavy training loads; 2. to produce a direct (ergogenic or work enhancing) effect on performance; 3. to compensate for less than ideal diets or lifestyles. Firstly we need to acknowledge that there are two main classifications of sports supplements for athletes. One is called simply a ‘dietary supplement’ because it usually contains nutrients in amounts similar to those found in foods, but is in a form which may be more practical for the athlete to consume. The second is called a ‘nutritional ergogenic aid’. These usually contain nutrients in much greater than recommended quantities, are often purported to have a direct ergogenic effect on performance and usually rely on theoretical rather than scientifically controlled research evidence. Needless to say, the former are quite well accepted by sports scientists, whereas the latter are not usually supported by sports nutrition/medicine experts. The first and third reasons above are usually a sign that the athlete has not fully realised the importance of a high carbohydrate training diet and the need to practice good recovery strategies (re-fuelling spent glycogen after heavy training). Much of this problem can be fixed by consulting a Sports Dietitian who can help plan fuel intake that matches exercise needs and is practical to consume in a normal working day. This might well include the use of dietary supplements – especially fluids like sports drinks/gels or nutritional drinks (which add the energy and nutrients of a small meal in one drink) - to add extra carbohydrates and energy in an easy-to-consume form. Reason two is the tricky one to deal with here. Often the athlete is looking for a quick solution – something that will give a boost to energy level or endurance capacity, without having to put in much effort. They may have heard about the ergogenic aid through a multilevel marketing company, which has given only personal testimonials or non-peer-reviewed, non-scientific evidence to support it. Their claim is often that ‘everyone is using them’, which may provide powerful motivation, but does not prove they work! The placebo effect is well known and many of the claims about supplement benefits can be put down to this factor. 36 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007
The role of most commonly sold nutritional ergogenic aids remains unsupported. The exceptions to this include caffeine, bicarbonate and creatine, which can provide benefits to specific athletes (mainly sprinters) in certain situations. It is wise to remember that the supplement industry is a very profitable business, while the production and marketing of their products is poorly regulated with respect to control of quality or scientific support for their many claims. Athletes are vulnerable to not only wasting their money but also to risking possible side-effects or inadvertent doping arising from supplements which may contain traces of illegal substances or may not contain the stated quantity of the ‘performanceenhancing’ agent/ingredient. The risk is small but quite real. So what is the place of nutritional supplementation for the busy, heavily training athlete? It may well be necessary to add extra energy (especially if not able to maintain training weight) or nutrients (vitamins/minerals) to the diet. But doing this in a well–controlled, planned fashion with the advice of a sports nutrition expert is by far the best way. It is of no use to supplement an athlete who has not first tried to achieve their goals through adequate dietary strategies. With good meal and snack planning as well as attention to adequate fluid intake, many of the nutrient needs can be met very easily, but in some cases, it is made more convenient or achievable for an athlete by the addition of things like liquid meal supplements, sports bars or carbohydrate gels and sports drinks. But there again, many a sports bar can equally be replaced by a cheaper supermarket substitute such as a breakfast or muesli bar. Some of the weight-gain powders are no more than skim milk powder equivalents and the dose of amino acids in some supplements would be less than that found in a small carton of yoghurt. In other words, don’t be ‘had’ by the glamour of the word ‘sport’ which may be used to simply increase the price of the product rather than provide you with something that will enhance your athletic performance. In the next edition I will review what really makes up an adequate training diet and how to take good care of your recovery nutrition. Gillian Woodward is a Practising Dietician and has been providing advice in the field for over 25 years. She has been an orienteer since 1984
