A Comprehensive Review of the Safety of Dietary Supplements Used to Enhance Athletic Performance

Abstract

Dietary supplements are popular for maintaining well-being and enhancing athletic performance. These are believed to be safe and effective but also carry health risks. To avoid adverse health consequences, professional athletes and parents of under-18 athletes must be educated about dietary supplement safety, especially sports supplements that they consume regularly. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of dietary supplements is crucial for safe and effective use. The study emphasized the positive and negative effects of the most consumed amino acids such as branch chain amino acids (BCAA), leucine, creatine, glutamine, β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate, tryptophan, citrulline, etc. Besides the adverse effects of excess consumption of amino acids, increasing risks of toxicity, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, and impact on renal and gastrointestinal performance were also reviewed.