USA Cheer has partnered with TrueSport, to provide new educational tools to equip coaches, parents and young athletes with the resources to build life skills and core values for success in sports and in life. TrueSport, a movement by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, inspires athletes, coaches, parents, and administrators to change the culture of youth sport through active engagement and thoughtful curriculum based on cornerstone lessons of sportsmanship, character-building, and clean and healthy performance, while also creating leaders across communities through sport.

Supplement Series: Part 1  | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

At some point, almost every athlete has wondered if they need to use supplements to perform at their best, whether it’s vitamins for general wellness, whey protein for muscle growth, or a B6 pill for energy. The information below will help you decide if you truly need a supplement, or if you can get all the nutrients you need from food alone.

Through this five-part series on supplements, you will find an overview of the dietary supplement industry so that you can decide if the potential benefits of dietary supplements outweigh the risks. And, if you find you do need to use supplements, how you can better choose a low-risk product.

AS AN ATHLETE, DO I NEED A DIETARY SUPPLEMENT?

All athletes need good nutrition, but it is up to you to determine whether that nutrition is best obtained through foods or supplements. Under certain circumstances, a dietary supplement may be helpful.

Your first step is to evaluate your nutritional needs, and then identify whether increasing the intake of certain vitamins, minerals, or other ingredients is necessary. You can use the steps below to determine if you need a dietary supplement.

1. Talk with a professional to ensure that your training program is optimal for what you are trying to achieve at your age.
2. Make sure you are getting enough sleep. There are no supplements that can make up for a lack of sleep.
3. Evaluate your diet and develop a nutrition plan that includes training and recovery.
4. Meet with a doctor to identify any vitamin or mineral deficiencies or other health problems that might limit the variety of foods you can eat (e.g., food allergies, gluten, or dairy intolerances.

IS THERE EVIDENCE BEHIND THE BENEFITS OF USING DIETARY INGREDIENTS?

To determine which, if any, dietary supplements can benefit you, it is necessary to first evaluate your metabolic needs and diet.

Since everyone is different, it is not possible to simply say “all athletes need fish oil/vitamin D/branched chain amino acids (BCAAs)” or that “creatine improves the sport performance of every athlete.” For example, creatine can help some athletes in a few specific instances (see Table 1) if they are not eating enough of the right foods, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

Table 1 shows some of the potential benefits and risks of commonly asked-about dietary ingredients.

To evaluate whether a specific ingredient would benefit you, it is helpful to consult with a certified sports dietitian or other qualified healthcare provider. If you do not have access to someone with the credentials to help, you can also consult the TrueSport Nutrition Guide for information about dietary ingredients’ effects on health and performance.

If an athlete has an identified nutrient deficiency, the question becomes how to best increase the intake of that ingredient. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) recommends that athletes first try to modify what they eat. However, if it is determined that food alone will not do the trick, then an athlete should undertake a thorough evaluation to minimize the risks around supplement use.

The dietary supplement industry is complicated, and the use of supplements isn’t always necessary. Continue to do your homework. Evaluate your own diet and training regimen to see what changes can be made before turning to supplements.

CAN I GET THE NUTRIENTS I NEED THROUGH FOOD?

Most athletes can get what they need from to reach peak performance through food alone. In fact, foods offer more nutrients than you may realize. As you’ll see below, foods outperform supplements in almost every case.

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Takeaway

In addition to understanding the inherent risks around supplements, it’s important to determine if you even need them. Use this information to get started, and if you do decide that supplements are necessary, check out the next two articles in the Supplement Series to learn which supplements you should always avoid, and which may be safer.

The TrueSport Champion Network is a community of coaches, parents, program directors, and athletes who believe in the power of youth sport to build life skills and core values for success both on and off the field. Join TrueSport Champion Network to help promote the positive values of cheer, dance, and STUNT!

The TrueSport Coaching Education Program empowers coaches—the most significant influencers in young athletes’ lives—with a transformative learning opportunity to obtain the knowledge and resources to cultivate, champion, and uphold the rich promise and highest potential of sport.

USA Cheer is proud to partner with USADA’s TrueSport® to bring relevant educational content to the Cheer and STUNT community in order to promote a positive youth sport experience. We are excited to provide access to TrueSport’s experts that take coaching beyond skills and help truly develop the overall athlete by building life skills and core values for success on and off the mat, sideline, field, and court.

Feel free to share these resources with your coaching staff, parents, or athletes!

About TrueSport

TrueSport^®, a movement powered by the experience and values of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, champions the positive values and life lessons learned through youth sport. TrueSport inspires athletes, coaches, parents, and administrators to change the culture of youth sport through active engagement and thoughtful curriculum based on cornerstone lessons of sportsmanship, character-building, and clean and healthy performance, while also creating leaders across communities through sport.

For more expert-driven articles and materials, visit TrueSport’s comprehensive LEARN resource.

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