Supplement Use by Children to Enhance Sport Performance
Supplement Use by Children to Enhance Sport Performance
A considerable number of children in the US are using a wide variety of dietary supplements, including nonvitamin minerals such as creatine, specifically to improve sports performance. A large proportion use multivitamin and/or mineral combinations. Usage may be predicted by age, gender, and level of education but less so by parent-based demographics. However, pediatric and other health groups have warned of the dangers of this population taking supplements for sport performance, and this should not be taken lightly. Further investigation could assess specific components that make up combination herbal products that are used by children, whether the level of youth sports is competitive in the sample and to what degree, and if the user has experienced any adverse events associated with taking products to enhance sport performance. Studies could also assess knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs held by parents regarding current policies as they pertain to adolescent use of supplements to enhance sport performance and their relative safety, as they may be unaware that this may be an unhealthy practice for their child. Additional research on other substance use to boost sport performance later in the child's life and any relationship to early use of dietary supplements should also be investigated as well as whether children serve as role models for future use in younger siblings.
Conclusion
A considerable number of children in the US are using a wide variety of dietary supplements, including nonvitamin minerals such as creatine, specifically to improve sports performance. A large proportion use multivitamin and/or mineral combinations. Usage may be predicted by age, gender, and level of education but less so by parent-based demographics. However, pediatric and other health groups have warned of the dangers of this population taking supplements for sport performance, and this should not be taken lightly. Further investigation could assess specific components that make up combination herbal products that are used by children, whether the level of youth sports is competitive in the sample and to what degree, and if the user has experienced any adverse events associated with taking products to enhance sport performance. Studies could also assess knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs held by parents regarding current policies as they pertain to adolescent use of supplements to enhance sport performance and their relative safety, as they may be unaware that this may be an unhealthy practice for their child. Additional research on other substance use to boost sport performance later in the child's life and any relationship to early use of dietary supplements should also be investigated as well as whether children serve as role models for future use in younger siblings.