Caffeine Health Claims on Sports Supplement Labeling. Analytical Assessment According to EFSA Scientific Opinion and International Evidence and Criteria

Abstract

Caffeine is a food supplement widely consumed by athletes, but it has not been established. So far, the veracity of their labeling in terms of the dosage and cause/effect relationship aimed at the consumer. The aim is to analyze the health claims and the dosage presented on the labeling of caffeine supplements and to evaluate if they follow the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and international criteria. A descriptive cross-sectional study of a sample of caffeine supplements was carried out. The search was done through the Amazon and Google Shopping web portals. In order to assess the adequacy of the health claims, the guidelines of reference established by European Food Safety Authority were compared to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, International Olympic Committee, and Australian Institute of Sport guidelines; in addition, recent systematic reviews were addressed. A review of labels of 42 caffeine supplements showed that, in less than 3% of the products were the health claims supported by the recommendations and by the labeled quantity of caffeine. The claims that fully complied the recommendations were, “improves or increases endurance performance,” “improves strength performance,” or “improves short-term performance.” In most cases, the recommended dosage was 200 mg/day for these products, which is the minimum for the caffeine effects to be declared. The rest of the health claims were not adequate or need to be modified. Most of the health claims identified indicated an unproven cause and effect, which constitutes consumer fraud, and so must be modified or eliminated.

Analysis of the Consumption of Sports Supplements in Open Water Swimmers According to the Competitive Level

“…However, it is necessary to indicate that the consumption of SS belonging to group C of the AIS classification [4] (little or no evidence of beneficial effects) is similar to group A (maximum evidence of improved performance), and much higher than those of group B (need further research), perhaps due to high consumption of group C SS, such as BCAAs or glutamine in both groups of swimmers. Therefore, it is important to provide nutrition education to athletes that can help them make better use of supplements [25,28], as many athletes frequently consume SS without understanding its effects or risks [25].…”

Health Claims for Sports Drinks—Analytical Assessment according to European Food Safety Authority’s Scientific Opinion

“…In the case of the study on health claims for caffeine labelling, the results show that only 2.78% of the claims fully comply with the cause-effect relationship established by the scientific reference documents, with the vast majority indicating an unproven cause-effect, which constitutes food fraud against the consumer [47]. Or, in the study on health claims for creatine monohydrate in commercial communications, where only 25% of the health claims met the criteria set by scientific reference documents.…”

“…As can be seen, product advertising does not always correctly refer to the effects of a particular food. Food fraud can be found in various forms in advertising, consumer information, and marketing of sports supplements, also observed in the study on the analytical assessment of health claims related to caffeine dosage in the labelling of sports supplements [47] and the study on health claims relating to creatine monohydrate [48].…”

Use of Ergogenic Substances amongst Bodybuilding Athletes Around Polokwane Municipality, Limpopo Province, South Africa

“…Tachycardia, anxiety, insomnia [14], gastrointestinal upsets, and diarrhea [19] are common symptoms that may appear if consumed above the given dose. Pre-exercise ingestion is recommended an hour before the event.…”