Supplement use in the adolescent athlete.

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Adolescent Health
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Dietary supplement use is prevalent among adolescent athletes in the US.
• Supplements lack stringent FDA regulation and often have unsubstantiated performance claims.
• Adolescents may face unique risks due to limited safety data in this demographic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review common dietary supplements used by adolescent athletes.
• To assess the scientific evidence for ergogenic benefits and safety in adolescents.
• To identify specific risks associated with certain supplements.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of dietary supplements including creatine, anabolic steroids, and ephedrine.
• Analysis of available performance and safety data, with a focus on adolescent populations.
• Evaluation of educational interventions aimed at reducing supplement use.

Main Results:

• Limited scientific evidence supports ergogenic claims for many supplements in adolescents.
• Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to risks from anabolic steroids and ephedra-caffeine combinations.
• Effective educational programs have been shown to decrease adolescents' intent to use dietary supplements.

Conclusions:

• The use of dietary supplements by adolescent athletes raises significant safety and efficacy concerns.
• More research is needed on the specific effects and risks of supplements in adolescent populations.
• Evidence-based education is a viable strategy to mitigate supplement use among young athletes.