Supplements can BAN you from Sports | By Fitness Coach Yuvraj Salvi

Supplements have really become a part of our diet some in powdered form and others in the form of pills/soft-gel tablets which are consumed daily for valid/invalid reasons. This is where knowing about what our supplements contain becomes very important especially if you are a sportsmen. At the same time it should also be considered as to what supplements are allowed/not allowed in a particular sport E.g.- In bodybuilding steroid use is very common and helps all of its athletes win titles whereas when playing cricket, football, basketball & rugby consuming such substances possess a risk of getting lifetime ban from WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) or other anti-doping governing bodies.

1. Health Factor

Although there are benefits of certain stimulants in enhancing performance of an athlete but at the same time this synthetically enhanced performance comes at a price. Stimulants such as caffeine & ephedrine can be beneficial for endurance sport as it improves oxidation of fat but both these substances have detrimental side
effects such as nausea, vomiting, palpations and in a few cases death.

2. All about Caffeine

As a part of every pre-workout supplement and a substance which is in every persons morning cup may it be tea or coffee or soft drinks even green tea and green coffee contain caffeine in smaller quantities. Caffeine has been identified as a class 1 drug by WADA and the 3 rd most in terms of addiction after cocaine & sugar. Caffeine
above natural levels (levels not achievable through consumption of tea & coffee but in a synthetic form) has been banned from many aerobic sports. The side effects of caffeine on withdrawal are fatigue, headache, difficulty in
concentration etc. Make sure that you replace your morning cup of tea and coffee with a glass of fresh fruit juice.

www.wada-ama.org

3. Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements mean everything that you get from a shelf of a supplement store. It can even be a Vitamin tablet. Dietary supplements are not monitored or checked by any governing body which could tell what’s actually in it. 80% of the supplement industry is run by criminals & drug mafias who can sneak drugs into these supplements without anyone coming to know about it. Here is were all the athletes need to be cautioned because then not only health but career also gets at risk. E.g.- the supplements which come form the USA are not checked by the FDA

(Food & Drug Administration) which quality checks even the simplest of foods such as fruits & vegetables. Next time before going to a supplement store make sure you are getting something authentic.

www.fda.gov

4. How to choose a Genuine Supplement

www.informed-sport.com

The website mentioned website will be very helpful for choosing supplements which are tested & verified. It’s the most reliable website on the internet. But In India there is a lot of duplicate products on the market which may contain harmful substances in a worst case scenario it may even cause death. Therefore, it also becomes
important to find authentic retailers in the market. Don’t go for a cheaper product as it may compromise on your health or sports.

Take home message

There needs to be awareness among the people about supplements. Rather than treating it as a taboo we must have open discussions which would bring out positive outcomes within the supplement industry. Maybe all the brands would start to test their supplements if the market demands them in doing so. Every athlete has the right to enhance his performance legally therefore, it is the duty of fitness experts to educate athlete about the use of supplements. This way the sport will remain clean and the athletes safe from failing a dope test. But before even buying supplements it is very important that every athlete has the knowledge to follow:-

1. Recommended diet & nutrition (under guidance of nutritionist)
2. Proper training program (under guidance of strength & conditioning coach or athletic
trainer)
3. Recovery (will talk about in detail in my next article)
Once all these aspects are mastered then adding a supplement would really help to
enhance performance in a particular sport.

Yuvraj Salvi