Use of Dietary Supplements among Professional Athletes in Saudi Arabia

Hindawi Publishing Corporation Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism Volume 2013, Article ID 245349, 7 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/245349 Research Article Use of Dietary Supplements among Professional Athletes in Saudi Arabia Sulaiman O. Aljaloud1 and Salam A. Ibrahim2 1 2 Department of Exercise Physiology, College of Sport Sciences and Physical Activity, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Food Microbiology Laboratory, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Salam A. Ibrahim; Received 25 February 2013; Revised 29 March 2013; Accepted 9 April 2013 Academic Editor: Cindy Davis Copyright © 2013 S. O. Aljaloud and S. A. Ibrahim. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The objective of this study was to understand the usage patterns of dietary supplements among professional athletes in Saudi Arabia. The survey consisted of sixteen questions divided into four categories: use of supplements, reason for consumption of supplements, personal beliefs about supplements, and behavior. The questionnaires were given to the three teams residing in Riyadh: Al Hilal, Al Nasr, and Al-Shabab. Out of the 105 athletes surveyed, we found that only 98 are currently taking dietary supplements and the mean age and standard deviation were 25.74 ± 2.90. The survey results showed a high percentage of athletes (93.3%; 𝑛 = 98) using different dietary supplements throughout the season, 43.8% (𝑛 = 43) reported using supplements for performance, and 32.6% (𝑛 = 32) believed in health benefits as a reason for using dietary supplements. Our results showed that a total of 87 (88.7%), 81 (82.6%), and 51 (52.0%) athletes are consuming sports drinks, vitamin C, and multivitamins, respectively. Meanwhile, those supplements ranking among the least used included omega 6 (18.6%), creatine (16.3%), and Ginkgo biloba (10.2%). A majority of athletes indicated that their use of supplements was for the purpose of improving their health and performance. 1. Introduction Dietary supplements in the United States, as defined by the Dietary supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, are defined as any “product” (other than tobacco) intended to supplement the diet that contains one or more dietary ingredients [1]. Dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, herbs, meal supplements, sports nutrition products, natural food supplements, and other related products used to boost the nutritional content of the diet [2, 3]. Many athletes use different dietary supplements for a variety of reasons. Among the most popular products are ergogenic aids such as sports drinks, minerals, caffeine, Coenzyme Q10, and creatine to enhance physical performance and to tolerate pain [4]. This excess has been known to lead to serious health consequences [5]. Some supplements have even been implicated as the cause of death and disability when used improperly [6]. Therefore, the amount of dietary supplements consumed should be within the recommended range of protein, carbohydrates, and lipids for that particular product [7]. There are many athletes who use different dietary supplements for a variety of reasons. Bianco et al. [8] reported a correlation between greater knowledge of dietary supplements and reduced consumption. The ratio between dietary supplements and gender was slightly higher in male athletes compared to females [9]. Athletes involved in contact sports such as football had used supplements in higher amounts [6, 8], as such intensive sports require increased muscle mass and strength. Information on the use of supplements is usually provided by the athletes’ coaches and doctors [10], who reported on the use of supplements among college football players and found that 42% were using dietary supplements and 36% reported using creatine. In the same study, more than 50% of the football players believed that protein supplements are necessary for muscle growth and development. Additionally, 65% of the players surveyed believed that the information coming from media sources such as television advertising, radio, books, and magazines motivated athletes to use supplements. Typically, local players and individuals influence or motivate professional athletes to consume 2 dietary supplements. The players look up to professionals as role models. Athletes carry a lot of performance pressure and want to be competitive. As a result, they may misuse sports supplements to gain an advantage against opponents. Due to the lack of regulations and the increasing consumption of supplements, it is very important to understand behavioral factors that may influence the consumption of these products. Therefore, it has become necessary to educate athletes by providing better information about the risks and benefits of consuming dietary supplements. To reduce the risks from the improper use of supplements, physicians, coaches, athletic trainers, parents, health educators, and other sports professionals who have a stake in the health of these professional athletes should inform supplement users about unproven results and provide warnings about the potential harm of such dietary supplements [11, 12]. Our daily meals are not enough to boost our strength in intense sports activities. Sports supplements can provide an easy way to improve our health and build and maintain muscle mass, endurance, and power. Using carbohydrate diets containing electrolytes can hydrate the body during sporting events. Injury prevention and enhanced recovery are important benefits of using sports nutrition supplements [13]. Saudi Arabia supervises 153 football clubs. These clubs include various grades and age groups, which range from 12 years of age to 15, to adult teams. The main objectives of the Saudi football leagues are to promote a spirit of competition and to promote a strong base for the sport in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Professional League (SPL) is the primary football organization in Saudi Arabia. Despite being active in sports activities, no previous survey studies have been conducted by the SPL to know whether the players are receiving accurate information regarding the use of dietary supplements. Since supplements are an integral part of players’ lives, they must use these supplements properly in order to avoid negative health consequences. Therefore, the objective of this study was to understand the usage of and beliefs about dietary supplements among professional athletes in Saudi Arabia through multiple choice survey questionnaires. In addition, factors influencing the use of dietary supplements by professional athletes were described. 2. Methods The Institutional Review Board (IRB) of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University approved this study and questionnaire. The survey method (...truncated)