Powders and capsules touted for their thousand and one virtues continue to spread; among them, some have the increasingly established reputation among athletes that they would develop their muscles or burn their fat. While the Olympic Games are about to land in the capital and put sport in the spotlight, the National Agency for Food Safety (ANSES) reaffirms the risks of these food supplements. Between 2016 and 2024, 154 new cases of adverse effects were reported to it, “two deaths occurred and four people saw their life threatened,” she details in a press release broadcast this Wednesday, July 17. And this while their benefits remain for the most part uncertain.
The side effects of dietary supplements for athletes are often cardiovascular – tachycardia, palpitations, or even cardiac arrest. Other, more general symptoms can also occur, such as malaise, dizziness, fatigue, fever, or digestive problems. Even, in rarer cases, strokes. These risks are increased in younger people, whose bodies are more sensitive than in adults. “Since 2016, 20% of adverse effects have been very serious”specifies the health agency.
She had already launched an alert eight years ago : 49 reports had been sent to him since 2009, the year the national monitoring system was launched. The number of reports between 2016 and 2024 has therefore more than tripled. An illustration of consumption that is spreading: because if these products, and especially the “prot” were popularized by bodybuilders, they are increasingly cherished by athletes. Especially for the disciplines “whose performance is based on muscular strength or body weight reduction”.
“This practice is encouraged by an unfounded belief that the current diet is not sufficient to achieve the performance objectives set.”insists Anses. Same remarks made by Inserm at the beginning of the month : “It is important to remember that these products are not miracle products. Protein powders are only useful if they accompany intense and regular sports training, and if they are consumed as part of a balanced diet, on the advice of a qualified sports trainer.” Especially since long-term overconsumption of protein affects the liver, intestines and kidneys.
Vigilance, too, on the composition of products: their marketing does not require marketing authorization, unlike medicines. So online sales sites are proliferating and large retail chains are also getting involved – Anses also advises against buying supplements online. And some ingredients present in some of them are prohibited, in particular because of their numerous and severe adverse effects on cardiovascular activity. This is the case for anabolic steroids, clenbuterol and ephedrine.
Fraud and doping
“Their presence in food supplements constitutes fraud and can expose the sports consumer, beyond the health risks, to an abnormal analytical result (“positive control”) during an anti-doping test”points out Anses. Even if it meets French regulatory requirements, an ingredient can also be banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency – contamination by a food supplement is also increasingly used to justify the presence of a doping product in the analyses of athletes, as evidenced by the examples of Paul Pogba or tennis player Simona Halep.
For consumers, professional or amateur athletes, the experts at ANSES repeat their recommendations issued in 2016: be careful when consuming several food supplements at the same time or combining them with medication; always discuss the consumption of food supplements with a health professional, and their supervisors for athletes, and report it to your doctor or pharmacist. It is also better to avoid taking pills containing caffeine before and during a sporting activity – or even ban it altogether for people sensitive to its effects. These substances are also strongly advised against for people with heart, kidney or liver problems, suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders, children and teenagers, as well as pregnant women.
Source: www.liberation.fr
