The International Olympic Committee's stance on sports supplements

What is it about?

The IOC has long eschewed the use of dietary supplements purported to boost performance. In this, the first consensus statement, the IOC and an expert working panel acknowledge that some supplements work to enhance performance. However, the list of what works is small and good evidence exists for very few supplements. The cry often heard from many is that 'it works for me' or 'the science just isn't there yet' those sentiments are weighed here against actual bona fide evidence.

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Why is it important?

Many athletes take supplements with the notion that the supplement is the key to achieving peak performance. In this consensus paper, a team of experts reviews the evidence and shows that in fact, very few supplements work to promote performance and are often associated with risk of contamination with substances that would cause an athlete to fail a doping test. Sport supplement sales are in excess of billions of dollars/euros/pounds and yet with very little evidence to show that the vast majority of them work.

Perspectives