Are there any concerns or considerations?
Poor replacement of nutrient-dense foods
- May provide a false sense of security to athletes who are otherwise eating poorly.
- Vitamin and mineral supplements are often considered a replacement for a poor intake of fruits and vegetables. However, they do not contain the huge variety of phytochemicals found in fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices that promote health-related effects.
Poor replacement of targeted micronutrient therapy
Multivitamin mineral supplements do not replace the potential need for the supervised treatment or prevention of deficiencies of key micronutrients (e.g. iron deficiency). Athletes who are at high risk of such a deficiency should seek the advice of a Medical Practitioner or Accredited Sports Dietitian rather than self-medicate.
Megadose products may be counterproductive
Large doses of antioxidant vitamin supplements (e.g Vitamins C and E) may be counterproductive if they upset the balance of the body’s complex antioxidant system. In some cases, such supplementation has been shown to impair the effectiveness of training by dampening the oxidative pathways that are needed to signal the adaptive response to an exercise session.1
Accumulation of excessive and unnecessary doses
Many athletes consider vitamins and minerals to be a “pick me up” in times of heavy training or fatigue. They may add a multivitamin mineral supplement (or two) to their existing use of supplements and sports foods, some of which are already fortified with the same ingredients. The combination of many different sources can lead to unnecessarily high intakes of some micronutrients with unwanted side effects including toxicity or competition for absorption between nutrients.
Inadvertent ingestion of banned or harmful substances
Although all sports foods and supplements can be a source of contaminants or undeclared ingredients, the current positioning of vitamin and mineral supplements as a “pick me up” or lifestyle tonic merits particular caution. We note that some products contain herbal ingredients or other forms of stimulants that are included to give a sense of “energy” - these may lead to health concerns or an inadvertent Anti-Doping Rule Violation.