Athletes Perceived Level of Risk Associated with Botanical Food Supplement Use and Their Sources of Information

Athletes should carefully consider the use of botanical food supplements (BFSs) given the current lack of substantiation for botanical nutrition and health claims under EU and UK food laws. In addition, athletes may be at an increased risk of doping violations and other adverse outcomes potentially associated with BFS use; however, little is known about athletes' intake, knowledge, or perceptions in relation to BFS use. An online cross-sectional survey of n = 217 elite and amateur athletes living on the island of Ireland was conducted using Qualtrics XM to assess intake, knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions. General food supplements (FSs) were reported by approximately 60% of the study cohort, and 16% of the supplements reported were categorized as BFS. The most frequently consumed BFSs were turmeric/curcumin (14%), Ashwagandha (10%), and Beetroot extract (8%). A higher proportion of amateur athletes would source information about BFSs from less credible sources, such as fellow athletes, or from internet sources or their coach, compared to elite athletes. Those who sourced information about botanicals from fellow athletes (p = 0.03) or the internet (p = 0.02) reported a lower perceived level of risks associated with BFS use. This study therefore suggests that amateur athletes may be more likely to source information from less credible sources compared to elite athletes who may have more access to nutrition professionals and their knowledge/advice. This may have potential adverse implications for amateur athletes, e.g., Gaelic games players, who are included within the doping testing pool but who may not have access to evidence-based nutrition advice.

How Internet Websites Portray Herbal Vitality Products Containing Eurycoma longifolia Jack: An Evaluation of the Quality and Risks of Online Information

BACKGROUND

Tongkat Ali (TA) or Eurycoma longifolia is a herbal medicine (HM) plant traditionally used to treat sexual dysfunction and enhance libido in men. Websites containing information about HM are abundant. However, studies have shown that in general the quality of websites containing information on HM is low. The present study aims to assess the quality and risks of websites containing information about TA supplements and to identify the health claims for TA.

METHODOLOGY

A cross-sectional study to evaluate the quality and risks of websites discussing TA supplements was conducted. Online marketing websites, research articles, news articles, personal opinions, and those restricted by password were excluded. The quality and risks of websites were assessed using a modified DISCERN tool and a set of risk assessment criteria, respectively. The health claims for TA were identified and analyzed using content analysis.

RESULTS

Overall, 321 websites met the inclusion criteria and were further evaluated. The overall rating of the quality of the websites was low, with a mean score ± standard deviation of 1.07 ± 0.51. Most websites lacked information that there may be more than one possible treatment choice and did not discuss areas of uncertainty. However, 67.9% (218/321) of the websites received a risk score of zero. A minority of websites (5/321, 1.6%) discouraged the use of conventional medicines. The most common health claims for TA included in the websites related to the enhancement of testosterone level (121/321, 37.7%), treatment of malaria (112/321, 34.9%), and improvement in libido (108/321, 33.6%).

CONCLUSIONS

Websites containing information about TA supplements generally have a low-quality rating based on a modified DISCERN tool despite having a low-risk score. Government agencies and healthcare professionals (HCPs) must be more proactive in the critique and dissemination of information relating to HM, and in ensuring the safe use of HM among the public and patients.

D-aspartic Acid Supplementation Effects on Body Composition: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials on Trained Males

Context: D-Aspartic acid (DAA) is an amino acid found in the brain and reproductive system. Some investigations have reported beneficial effects of DAA on brain function and reproductive system health by increasing testosterone through the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. However, its effect on body composition is unknown. Given testosterone's role in muscle growth, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of DAA supplementation on the body composition of trained males. Evidence Acquisition: PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science (until 1 August 2021) were searched for this systematic review. Inclusion criteria assumed as clinical trials assessed the effect of DAA on body composition in trained males. After including articles by keywords, the articles were reviewed for meeting the eligibility criteria. Three independent researchers conducted the search and full-text review. Results: Among 134 articles located during the primary search, five articles (47 interventions and 43 controls) were included in the study based on eligibility criteria. All included clinical trials had a low risk of bias. A review of the relevant literature concludes that different doses of DAA (three grams, six grams, 7.12, and 12 grams) in different intervention periods (two weeks, four weeks, and 12 weeks) have no effects on body composition in trained males. Conclusions: DAA supplementation is a low-level booster of testosterone and has no significant effect on the testosterone level in professional male athletes, and cannot alter the body composition.