Supplement Use

Contributed by Nicole Powell-Dunford, Gokkyu

I am looking to improve my weight lifting performance. How safe are supplements?
 

Weight lifting is a good part of a well rounded fitness program and fitness is sure to give you an edge on every mission. However supplements offer little benefit when compared to a proper diet. Worse yet, supplements have little regulatory oversight. Hence, ingredients may be misleading and manufacturer claims do not need to be proven. This puts you at risk for health problems and/or random urine drug test failure.

The Department of Defense Aeromedical policy prohibits the vast majority of supplement use with the exception of standard (non-mega dose) vitamins, minerals, protein, and sports drinks that don’t contain creatine, ephedra, or herbs. Although some studies show creatine can improve specific types of performance in highly trained athletes, at least one study shows the same degree of improvement in athletes using a fake pill. You should know that:

1. Safety data on long term creatine use is limited.