Athletes warned against potential dangers of natural supplements

Date:
January 26, 2022
Source:
European Society of Cardiology
Summary:
Nutritional supplements taken to boost athletic performance can
pose risks to the heart, according to a recent statement.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Nutritional supplements taken to boost athletic performance can pose
risks to the heart, according to a European Society of Cardiology
(ESC) statement published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the ESC.


========================================================================== "Nutritional supplements are commonly viewed as risk-free substances
that may improve performance," states the paper. "Some nutritional
supplements, including various plant and 'natural' extracts, may pose a
serious health risk and athletes may even risk contravening anti-doping
rules." "Athletes who use supplements often have no knowledge regarding
their effects on sports performance and overall health," continues the document. "It is reported that most athletes get nutritional advice from coaches, fellow athletes, family members and friends, suggesting that more
wide reaching educational interventions, at an early age, are necessary."
Key points for athletes using nutritional supplements:
* A natural supplement is not necessarily a safe supplement.

* Use products by established manufacturers with known good quality
standards.

* Athletes are personally responsible for any substances they consume.

* Ignorance is not accepted as an excuse in relation to a positive
doping
test.

The position paper outlines the cardiovascular effects during sports
of doping substances, prescribed and over-the-counter medicines, legal performance- enhancing supplements, and experimental drugs.

Doping refers to the use of a substance or method which is potentially dangerous to athletes' health or capable of enhancing their
performance. To take one example, death among athletes doping with
anabolic androgenic steroids is estimated to be 6-20 times higher than
in clean athletes, and around 30% of these deaths can be attributed to cardiovascular causes.



==========================================================================
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) maintains a list of prohibited drugs,
but nutritional substances are not included since many are unregulated
and unlicensed. The use of legal supplements by athletes varies between
40% and 100% depending on the sport and level of competition. Intended to enhance performance and give a competitive edge, legal supplements include caffeine, creatine, energy drinks/gels/bars, beetroot juice, and proteins.

"Caffeine is a prime example of a natural substance that is considered
safe," said first author Dr. Paolo Emilio Adami of World Athletics,
the global governing body for track and field. "While caffeine improves performance, particularly aerobic capacity in endurance athletes, its
abuse may lead to fast heart rate (tachycardia), heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias), high blood pressure, and in some cases sudden cardiac
death." "The 'more is better' philosophy, when applied to caffeine
use in sports, may result in side effects that outweigh the performance benefits," states the paper.

Many elite athletes consume a combination of supplements daily
and the document states: "Unfortunately, it is common practice for
athletes to ignore dosing recommendations and use multiple drugs simultaneously." Sportspeople should be aware that supplement use
exposes them to the risk of ingesting prohibited substances since they
are regulated as food ingredients and not subject to the rigorous safety standards of pharmaceutical products.

The document warns that athletes' desire and consent to use experimental
drugs that have not been proven safe in humans is potentially even
riskier than using steroids or other prohibited drugs. The ongoing use of selective androgen receptor modulators or peptides "carry a substantial
risk for long-term detrimental health consequences, which are usually understated by their promoters," states the paper. It also highlights
that gene doping to improve strength, reduce pain and repair tissues is "expected to occur behind the scenes with limited protective actions and consequently increased health risks" and "constitutes a great threat
of major concern about the future of human performance manipulation."
Dr. Adami said: "In many cases sportspeople use a mix or cocktail of
substances to improve their performance and the interaction between
them can also be extremely dangerous. All doping substances are risky
and their use as medications should only be allowed when prescribed
by a physician to treat a medical condition, when no therapeutic
alternatives are available, and following the Therapeutic Use Exemption
(TUE) requirements.2 Based on the dose, the duration of use, and the interaction with other substances the health consequences can vary and in
some cases be lethal. From a cardiovascular perspective they can cause
sudden cardiac death and arrhythmias, atherosclerosis and heart attack,
high blood pressure, heart failure, and blood clots." He continued:
"Athletes should be aware that natural supplements and substances are not necessarily safe and should only be used if recommended by professional nutritionists. It is fundamental to use products from well-established manufacturers with known and internationally approved good quality
standards." Dr. Adami concluded: "Athletes are always personally
responsible for any substances they consume. Ignorance is not accepted as
an excuse in relation to a positive doping test. In those with established cardiovascular disease, a sports physician or sports cardiologist should
always be consulted prior to using any performance aid or supplement." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by European_Society_of_Cardiology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Paolo Emilio Adami, Nikolaos Koutlianos, Aaron Baggish, Ste'phane
Bermon,
Elena Cavarretta, Asterios Deligiannis, Francesco Furlanello,
Evangelia Kouidi, Pedro Marques-Vidal, Josef Niebauer, Antonio
Pelliccia, Sanjay Sharma, Erik Ekker Solberg, Mark Stuart,
Michael Papadakis.

Cardiovascular effects of doping substances, commonly prescribed
medications and ergogenic aids in relation to sports: a position
statement of the sport cardiology and exercise nucleus of the
European Association of Preventive Cardiology. European Journal
of Preventive Cardiology, 2022; DOI: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwab198 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220126195325.htm

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