Gender Difference, Nutritional Supplements and Drug use in Sport to Enhancing Performance: an Italian Revision over the Last Decade

Abstract

In last years, there has been a multitude of studies on doping, such as in recreational and in amateur sport. The extent of this phenomenon was clarified for special populations (like e.g. bodybuilders) and for special substances (mostly for anabolic steroids). Doping is present in sportsmen and women; the reasons why may be many and various. The aim of this study is to discover the gender disparity of drugs addiction as doping practice and breakdown by sport bodies and gender. The data show the anti-doping test took place on Italian professional athletes during the last years: from 2007 to 2017. Data showed are originated from the report commissioned by the Italian Ministry of Health. About checked doped athletes there are significant gender differences in doping attitude and/or in doping profiling. First of all, males seem to be more exposed to doping than females. The prohibited substances most frequently used by females athletes are diuretics and masking agents (10 athletes in 2014), cannabinoids (5 in 2007) and stimulants (5 in 2011) compared to males athletes who use mostly anabolic agents (27 in 2017), cannabinoids (20 in 2012) and diuretics and masking agents (17 in 2011 e 2014). The addiction of doping substances, depends on various factors related to gender, but what drives men and women is the sense of gratification and ego orientation. Nowadays a significant number of women joined official and Olympic competitions. Doping to enhance female sport performances took importance from the two last decades of the past century.

Guidelines for Physical Activity—A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess Their Application in the General Population. Have We Achieved Our Goal?

“…While competitive athletes have planned surveillance of their activities, amateur athletes have different sources of knowledge about the characteristics of PA. This might determine the adoption of habits not useful to reach adequate level of PA (immoderate use of food supplements, drug abuse to improve performance, overtraining programs increasing the risk of injuries) [33,[44][45][46].…”

Use and attitudes toward dietary supplements and drugs amongst Italian elite athletes and its correlation with banned doping substances

“…Reviews of the published literature reported that the consumptions of NS depends on several factor: the type of sport, the sex of the athletes and the level of competition (Pesce et al 2004;Mazzeo, F., Santamaria, S., & Montesano, P.,2019). For example, in the study of Burke &Read 1993 andBrill &Keane 1994, all the analysed weightlifters or bodybuilders intake NS (Burke et al 1994;Brill et al 1995).…”

Tendinopathy: Pathophysiology, Therapeutic Options, and Role of Nutraceutics. A Narrative Literature Review

“…The use of nutritional supplements should be carefully taken into consideration, due to their metabolic effects; for example, the abuse of anabolic-androgenic steroids shows an increased risk of upper body tendon rupture [57]. Particularly, this aspect is even more important for professional athletes, for whom some substances could violate the doping regulamentation and be considered illegal [58].…”