Dietary Supplement Knowledge Among Individual Sport Athletes: A Systematic Review
Authors
Narvina Sinani, Najada Quka
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The use of dietary supplements (DS) is highly prevalent among competitive athletes, yet their understanding of the physiological effects, health risks, and regulatory frameworks often remains superficial. Individual sport athletes face unique demands (such as weight management, prolonged physiological stress) that may influence their reliance on supplements. This systematic review aims to synthesize existing literature on the knowledge levels, information sources, and the relationship between knowledge and supplement use patterns among individual sport athletes. By following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted across Google Scholar, PubMed, and Research gate databases for studies published from 2014. The studies that met the inclusion criteria, were focused on endurance athletes, swimmers, triathletes, and racquet sport participants. This review showed us that the supplement usage rates are remarkably high in certain disciplines. Despite high usage, knowledge levels showed an inconsistency. Even why coaches were identified as the primary information source, yet reliance on personal practice remains high. Despite all the detected evidence, there is a significant gap between the high prevalence of supplement use and the depth of athlete knowledge. Structured, sport-specific education programs are essential to optimize performance, protect health, and mitigate doping risks in individual sports.
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Authors
Narvina Sinani, Najada Quka
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References:
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https://doi.org/10.18794/aams/154906.18794/aams/154906
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