Use of permitted drugs in Italian professional soccer players

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the frequency and quantity of usage of permitted drugs by Italian professional soccer players. Methods: A cohort of 1041 professional soccer players from the two Italian major leagues was assembled during the season 2003-4; 743 of the 785 (94.6%) subjects available on the day of the interview answered an epidemiological questionnaire, which included questions on the type and frequency of use of several permitted drugs. Results: 92.6% of players reported having used oral anti-inflammatory products in the previous year, and most of them were current users (86.1%). 36% of the players, mostly current users, reported the use of analgesics. 82.8% of the players reported current use of supplements, and 28% reported using vitamins. Conclusions: The regular use of several permitted drugs is very high among professional soccer players. The description of players' behaviour is the first step towards regular monitoring of the players' need for, and use of, vitamins, supplements and other permitted drugs.T he use of illicit drugs in professional sports has been a matter of strong interest. Although several sources, some of which are anecdotal and some are related to judicial inquiries, [1][2][3][4] indicate that illegal drugs are widely used in sport settings, the use of permitted drugs has been seldom studied. 5 6 There are surveys of the use of drugs in adolescents in school and college sport teams, 7 but few data are available on professional players, mostly because access to large numbers of elite athletes is restricted, and because elite athletes are generally reluctant to discuss their habits.8 One study conducted on English professional soccer players reported data on supplement and vitamin use in a selected sample of subjects, 9 and another study reported information on permitted drug usage in Olympic athletes, not involving soccer. 6 The objective of this study was to gather data on permitted drug use in Italian professional soccer players, in order to create a realistic picture of the players' use of anti-inflammatory and antidolorific drugs, supplements and vitamins. SUBJECTS AND METHODSSoccer players from 39 of 42 teams belonging to the A and B leagues during the 2003-4 season were contacted and asked to answer an epidemiological questionnaire and donate a saliva sample. More details about the planning and conduct of the study are reported elsewhere.10 Among the 1041 identified subjects, 785 were available on the day of the interview, and 743 (94.6%) agreed to participate in this study.With the cooperation of the Italian Soccer Association, the Italian Federation of Soccer and the Italian Federation of Sport Physicians, a questionnaire was prepared, which included demographic and anthropometric data, history of vaccinations, smoking and drinking habits, occupational exposure, family history of chronic diseases, use of medicines and vitamins. Details on their careers as soccer players included participation in previous teams, roles played and history of trauma, fractures and surgery. The m...

Preventive Health Perspective in Sports Medicine: The Trend at the Use of Medications and Nutritional Supplements during 5 Years Period between 2003 and 2008 in Football

“…From the few studies about the permitted drug use in football, previous study of Italian professional soccer players found that 92.6% of players reported having used oral anti-inflammatory drugs in a year, and most of them were current users 86.1%. Besides the medications about one from each three Italian players reported using vitamins (6). Another study on English professional football players found that many players use supplements to enhance their performance and 45% of players personally knew other players who used recreational drugs (7).…”

“…Some previous studies have analysed the use of prescription medicines in different areas of sports, such as; in athletes during the Olympic Games (OG), in National Olympic squads participating in winter and summer sports and in professional soccer players in England and in Italy during one season (6,7,13,16). The present study differs from all of the previous studies in this field about the use of permitted drugs with the duration, data were collected prior to every match during 5 years (4 football seasons).…”

“…• substance/player/match (mean intake per player) (8) • number of individual players reported to be using a substance (8) • substance/player/season (6) Pharmaceutical ingredients Based on the information provided by the team physician, the active pharmaceutical ingredient of each reported substance was identified, and the substance was classified as one of the following (11):…”

“…On the other hand, very limited literature had focused on prescribed substances such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and nutritional supplements (3)(4)(5). Only a few study are available on professional football players, mostly because access to large numbers of elite players is restricted, and elite players are generally reluctant to discuss their habits (6). One study conducted on Italian professional soccer players reported data on permitted drug usage during one season, and other study conducted on English professional soccer players reported data on supplement and vitamin use in a selected sample of subjects (6,7).…”

“…Only a few study are available on professional football players, mostly because access to large numbers of elite players is restricted, and elite players are generally reluctant to discuss their habits (6). One study conducted on Italian professional soccer players reported data on permitted drug usage during one season, and other study conducted on English professional soccer players reported data on supplement and vitamin use in a selected sample of subjects (6,7). One study conducted on the World Cups 2002 and 2006 reported data on permitted drug usage during these two football tournaments (8).…”