Dietary Supplements for Aquatic Sports

Abstract

Many athletes use dietary supplements, with use more prevalent among those competing at the highest level. Supplements are often self-prescribed, and their use is likely to be based on an inadequate understanding of the issues at stake. Supplementation with essential micronutrients may be useful when a diagnosed deficiency cannot be promptly and effectively corrected with food-based dietary solutions. When used in high doses, some supplements may do more harm than good: Iron supplementation, for example, is potentially harmful. There is good evidence from laboratory studies and some evidence from field studies to support health or performance benefits from appropriate use of a few supplements. The available evidence from studies of aquatic sports is small and is often contradictory. Evidence from elite performers is almost entirely absent, but some athletes may benefit from informed use of creatine, caffeine, and buffering agents. Poor quality assurance in some parts of the dietary supplements industry raises concerns about the safety of some products. Some do not contain the active ingredients listed on the label, and some contain toxic substances, including prescription drugs, that can cause health problems. Some supplements contain compounds that will cause an athlete to fail a doping test. Supplement quality assurance programs can reduce, but not entirely eliminate, this risk.

Physical and Energy Requirements of Competitive Swimming Events

“…Diet may also have a favorable impact on these qualities by ensuring the athlete has adequate glycogen stores at the start of events and by raising muscle-buffering capacity with consumption of beta-alanine or other buffering substances (Derave and Tipton, 2014;Mujika et al, 2014). Together, training and diet may therefore enhance the athlete's ability to both produce and tolerate lactic acid.…”

“…Dietary enhancement of this energy system is largely centered around increasing the muscle content of creatine phosphate (creatine supplements). See Derave and Tipton (2014) for a more complete discussion of these issues.…”

Nutrition Considerations for Open-Water Swimming

“…Ergogenic aids that may enhance swimming performance have been reviewed elsewhere by Derave and Tipton (2014). Of specific interest to open-water swimmers are products that can enhance central drive and help buffer acidic environments; this is especially important in the last few kilometers of any championship race.…”

Nutrition and Training Adaptations in Aquatic Sports

“…Sodium bicarbonate has been shown to increase shortterm power output, especially during repeated sprint efforts (Derave et al, 2014). At least one study used longterm sodium bicarbonate (Na HCO 3 ) supplementation in an attempt to induce superior training adaptations (Edge et al, 2006).…”

“…Although supplements for aquatic sports are covered by Derave et al (2014), there are a few supplements that may have relevance to enhancing training adaptations.…”