A new survey published in the US has shown that 87 per cent of sports coaches across the country believe that dietary supplements are a safe and effective means of improving performance.
The survey of 463 coaches was commissioned by GNC, the supplement retailer, and by Training and Conditioning and Coaching Management magazines. It also showed that 92.6 per cent of prep school, high school and collegiate coaches believe that athletes are turning to nutritional supplements now more than ever.
Some 80.9 per cent of respondents said they regularly advised their athletes about nutrition, while 41.4 per cent made recommendations about what specific products to take.
"Today's coaches play a very active role in advising their athletes in the area of sports nutrition - not only because it will help them succeed on the field, but also because they genuinely care about their athletes' well-being. As coaches, they are always looking for areas to give their team a competitive edge, and obviously proper nutrition has become one of the key areas that can make the difference between winning and losing," said Mark Goldberg, publisher of Training and Conditioning and Coaching Management.
With athletes' rising interest in nutritional supplements, the effort coaches make to educate themselves on the issue has also increased. Yet, of the coaches surveyed, 72.5 per cent answered that the NCAA and other sports governing bodies did not do enough to educate coaches and athletes about nutritional supplement research and findings. They added that 78.1 per cent of their own research on the subject came through magazines, newspaper articles and websites.
"Although this industry has been under its fair share of scrutiny, there are products on the market that support athletic performance. Coaches obviously recognise this fact and are making the effort to educate themselves about what nutritional products on the market are best suited for their athletes," said Dr Jeffrey Stout, director of sports science for Pro Performance, a range of supplements produced by GNC and designed to help improve athletic performance.
The survey sample included coaches at the collegiate level (22.2 per cent) and at the high school level (64.5 per cent). Some 49.2 per cent of the respondents were required to follow nutritional supplement restrictions enforced by their institution.
The survey results will no doubt be seen as good news for the supplement industry at a time when athletes are coming under increasing pressure to perform at ever higher levels while at the same time facing stricter regulations on the use of performance-enhancing products.
Some companies are even facing prosecution over death or injury allegedly caused to young athletes after taking dietary supplements to enhance their performance.