Dietary supplements: an overview

Question 1

What is a dietary supplement?

Answer 1

A product taken by mouth that contains a ‘dietary ingredient’ intended to supplement the diet.

Question 2

What are 4 ways to tell whether a supplement is effective?

Answer 2

• reach its target tissue?
• increase target tissue concentration?
• reproducible effect on its normal biochemical or physiological function?
• reproducible effect on exercise capacity of fatigue development?

Question 3

What is the AIS supplements resource?

Answer 3

Classifies supplements into 4 groups: A,B,C, and D.

Question 4

What are the risks of supplement use?

Answer 4

1 - contamination: poor quality control in manufacturing and storage
2 - absence or lower than declared levels of ‘actives’
3 - presence of undeclared doping agents
4 - harmful to health/performance

Question 5

What is contamination?

Answer 5

Supplements may contain undeclared prohibited substances.

For example, due to poor manufacturing practices resulting in contamination of the raw ingredient or deliberate inclusion of ingredients not listed on the label

Question 6

What is absence or lower than declared levels of actives?

Answer 6

Often supplements may not contain the actual amount of ingredient stated on the label in the final product, and some do not contain any at all

Question 7

When should supplements used to prevent or treat nutrition deficiencies be used?

Answer 7

when diagnosed by a medical doctor