Kids and supplements

In sport athletes are always looking for an edge. In professional sports especially, competitors will do as much as they can to optimise their performance, and supplements are a big part of them being able to do so. When training schedules are so demanding, games and competitions so tough and rest and recovery is not sufficient supplementing the body can offer specific aid to competitive athletes.

Sponsorships and endorsements associate many recognised athletes with specific products and manufacturers. The advertising of proteins, creatines, vitamins and all the rest are such that they almost come across as necessities. These supplements certainly do have their place for serious sportsmen, but is it a concern that an increasing amount of young teenagers are popping into supplement stores or going online to purchase products which contain ingredients they cannot even pronounce?

There are several factors which cause concern for young kids taking supplements. For a supplement to be on the market they do not need Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. This means manufacturers do not necessarily have to follow the FDA’s current good manufacturing practices to ensure quality and safety of their product. The amount of specific ingredients in a product may not be listed, and in some cases the ingredients not even listed at all.

Professional athletes will usually have conditioning and nutritional coaching, so they have expert advice on what is safe to take and what is not. Even if they choose to purchase or endorse a specific supplement they have a responsibility to check the ingredients are all safe and legitimate, as they are subject to drugs testing. Most athletes are careful as they realise the potential risk of being banned, but there have been instances in which athletes have been tested positive on the back of contaminated supplements or ones which contain ingredients in the banned substance list.

In comparison to an educated professional who has guidance and advice, for kids it really is a guessing game. There are so many products available and they all promise so much, but how can a young teenager know which are safe and legitimate and which are not. In many cases, a young person using supplements has no idea what exactly is going into their bodies.

Essentially youngsters are watching athletes at the top of their game, and they want to look like them and they want to take any supplements they are taking. What they need to take into account is the fact that these athletes have fully matured, while a young teenager is still growing. Messing around with supplements during this vital stage of bodily development can be detrimental, dangerous and the consequences really aren’t worth it.

Gaining muscle is the main goal these youngsters want to achieve, and it is widely recognised that protein is the main component for muscle growth and recovery. For a professional who is training day in, day out and being pushed to their limit, they need help. They need recovery and aid in maintaining muscle mass, and protein, as well as carbohydrates and creatine supplements can provide this.

To start with a young teenager should not be lifting heavy weights or training to this extreme. Putting a young body under this strain can cause problems for bones and stunt growth, and it is argued that, hormonally, and structurally, children's physiologies are not suited to these stresses. This does not mean youngsters cannot train or even do specific strength training, but it must be done under guidance and at a level that the body is not being put under unnecessary strain.

With regard to protein supplements, yes they are used my many athletes, and they can aid muscle growth and recovery if used in the right way at the right time. However excess protein in the diet does little to stimulate increased tissue growth, and may actually cause organ damage. A young athlete will gain more than enough protein if they have adequate diets, and in most cases any more will make no difference whatsoever. Excess protein will be recycled as components of other molecules, such as fat, or excreted through urine.

Another product which has been on the market for a long time and considered a major breakthrough for muscle growth and weight training is creatine. Our bodies already produce creatine in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas, and it also occurs naturally in certain foods such as meat and fish. Yet, again many young teenagers feel the need to purchase creatine supplements without realizing the risks involved.

Research done on creatine has shown that taking it as a supplement is most effective for athletes doing intermittent high-intensity exercise with short recovery intervals. However in a third of athletes tested it had no effect on performance, and it does not improve aerobic performance or endurance in any way.

There are many side effects for users of all ages such as muscle cramps, diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain. It is also recognised that kidney function may be affected by creatine, and people with kidney problems are advised not to use it. These potential dangers of creatine are recognised for everyone using the supplement, but there are still no studies on long or short-term effects of creatine on kids.

Protein and creatine are the most recognised and commonly used supplement by young teens, but the benefits really are minimal, and there are apparent potential dangers. Until the body is sufficiently developed these supplements should be avoided, and a decent, balanced diet will have just as much, if not more benefit than using them.

An athlete who is not yet developed has the rest of their life to enhance strength and muscle, so they should wait until the time is right. It is much more beneficial to concentrate on specific sporting skills, so they are engrained naturally. When the time is right anyone can pick up a weight and get stronger, but gaining skills is much easier done at a young age.