By Staff
Coaching Management, 13.11, November 2005, http://www.momentummedia.com/articles/cm/cm1311/bbsupplements.htm
With all the messages high school student-athletes hear about performance-enhancing substances, what are they actually choosing to put into their bodies in an effort to get ahead? This spring, officials at the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) decided to ask. The IHSAA conducted an anonymous statewide supplement survey, gathering information from 3,200 athletes at over 100 schools. The results contained mostly good news, but also identified a few areas of concern.
In general, the substances Iowa student-athletes reported using most aren’t the ones likely to put them at risk for health problems. A large majority—95 percent of males and 93 percent of females—reported consuming sports drinks to enhance performance. Thirty-nine percent of males and 36 percent of females take vitamin supplements, 37 percent of males use protein bars or powders, and 13 percent of females use meal-replacement bars or drinks.
IHSAA officials were pleased to learn that far fewer athletes are using the substances they’re most concerned about. Only 17 percent of males and one percent of females reported using creatine, and one percent or less of both genders said they used androstenedione (commonly known as andro), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), or beta-hydroxy methylbutyrate (HMB).
One number, however, did cause concern. Thirty percent of males and 17 percent of females said they use energy-enhancing products, such as highly caffeinated energy drinks or gels, many of which also contain other stimulants not regulated by the FDA. “That did raise a bit of a red flag for us,” says Alan Beste, IHSAA Assistant Executive Director and Wellness Coordinator, “because those products can have some negative effects if used improperly.”
The survey also asked athletes to identify their main sources of information about performance-enhancing products. Topping the list for both males and females were friends (44 percent for males and 50 percent for females), parents (37 percent for both genders), and coaches (37 percent for males and 35 percent for females). No other single group—doctors, athletic trainers, school nurses, or athletic directors—polled above 15 percent for either gender.
When the IHSAA Board of Control met this summer, members discussed the survey findings and decided that promoting education was the best way to combat potentially risky supplement use. As a result, the association is preparing a PowerPoint presentation on supplementation, as well as a new printed pamphlet about energy enhancing products.
“We have always believed that if we don’t inform athletes about nutritional supplements, and in particular weight-gain products and substances like creatine, they may start relying on them,” Beste says. “And when they aren’t satisfied with the outcome, the next thing they turn to could be andro or anabolic steroids.”
The IHSAA educational materials will be provided to high schools in the state and available to the general public via the association’s Web site: www.iahsaa.org.