Supplements

Athletes are constantly looking to gain an edge in their sport by minimizing recovery time, increasing energy or building muscle mass. I am cautious to recommend supplementation because the world of supplements is not heavily regulated and the benefits and risks of taking various supplements are unknown. A sports nutritionist gave a presentation to the Gonzaga University athletes last fall and sited that the IOC (international Olympic Committee) did a study of 100 supplements taken off the shelf of a chain store and found that over 20% would lead to positive drug tests and over 10% contained steroids that weren’t listed on the label. This was a BIG eye opener. Any athlete looking to take supplements should seriously look at the risk vs reward and make sure that the supplements they purchase are from large, well known companies with good reputations.