NCAA Dietary Supplementation: The What, Why, and How.
By. Bryan Bystol
What are the basics of the NCAA Supplementation
Policies?
The NCAA has recognized 8 banned substance categories
The NCAA has 4 basic categories that all dietary
that include a myriad of banned ingredients (Barnes and
supplements and consumer products fall under (Link
Rainbow, 2)
and Clark, 3)
• Permissible: Universities are allowed to provide
the substances. These substances are limited to
electrolyte drinks, power bars, carbohydrate
boosters, vitamins/minerals, and omega-3 fatty
acids (EX: Gatorade)
• Impermissible: Athletes are allowed to use them,
but the University is not allowed to provide the
substance. (EX: Creatine)
• Can be recommended for athlete use by
University staff.
• Banned: Substances that are tested for in sports
drug testing (EX: Performance Enhancers)
• Illegal: Dealing with the law (EX: Street Drugs).
Origination of Supplementation Policies: DSHEA 1994
What is DSHEA 1994?
The Dietary Supplement and Health Act of 1994 had 2
main goals: increased access and increased
information (Dickson 1)
(https://www.istockphoto.com/vector/
judge-gavel-sketch-gm164462112-21246243)
This graph depicts the prevalence of substance use in the
What did DSHEA 1994 do?
last 30 days, the past 12 months, and lifetime use of
• Provided more supplement information for
non-PES (left bar) users and PES user (+/right bar)
consumers Allowed for dietary supplements to be
(Buckman 4).
easily accessible to consumers (NIH Office of Dietary
Supplements).
• Ensured that dietary supplements would be less
regulated and easier to market.
• “Anyone can “package” substances and sell them
as dietary supplements, as long as they do not
make a medical claim” (NCAA).
What does this mean for the NCAA?
• Athletes have easy access to unregulated dietary
supplements.
• No guarantee that the supplement ingredients are
correct.
• Possibility of banned substances, contamination,
and harmful additives within the supplements
without athlete knowledge.
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bbystol@butler.edu
What Are the Banned Substances? Why Are Policies Needed?: How Do You Know Which Products Are Legal to Consume?
THERE IS NO GUARANTEE FOR INGREDIENT
Current Data on D1 Athlete Supplement Use
ACCURACY FOR ANY SUPPLEMENT. 
A 2004 survey was conducted by a research team
Here are some ways you can ensure a products safety
studying supplement use within D1 athletics. They
and absence of banned substances (Link and Clark, 1):
• Stimulants asked 203 student athletes what their reasons were
for using supplements (Froiland, 10). Their results: • If the product is regulated by the FDA, you are good to
• Adderall, Caffeine (large amounts) PES, supplements
• 43.5% for their individual health. consume!
ending in “ine” (Link and Clark, 3)
• 42.5% to increase strength/power. • Product has a Nutrition Label.
• Anabolic agents
• 42.5% to increase energy. • Look at the Supplement Facts Label: Is every ingredient
• Testosterone, DHEA, PES, ending in “one”/”ol” and
• 41.5% to gain weight/muscle gain. listed on the NCAA’s Permissible List?
numbers before the chemical name.
• 28.5 % to prevent injury/illness. • Third-Party Companies (Provide pictures of the logos)
• Alcohol and beta blockers (banned for rifle only)
• 25.1% to increase speed/agility. • Informed-Sport: Tests if the product has banned
• Atenolol, metoprolol, ingredients ending in “ol”
• 17.4% to lose weight/fat. substances
• Diuretics and masking agents
• 16.4% to heal injury/illness. • USP: Confirms that the label is accurate based on
• Hydrochlorothiazide, ingredients ending in “ide”
• 14.5% say it makes them feel better. what is in the product.
• Street Drugs
Also, they observed that the most used supplements by • NSF: Tests if the product has banned substances
• Heroin, Cannabinoids, Spice
these athletes were (Froiland 1): AND Confirms that the label is accurate based on
• Peptide hormones
• Energy Drinks (73%) what is in the product.
• Growth hormone (HGH), HCG, EPO
• Calorie Replacements (61.4%) • NO Proprietary blends or Herbal ingredients
• Hormone and Metabolic Modulators
• Multivitamin (47.3%) • We are never sure of what the blends consist of.
• Aromatase inhibitors, SERMS
• Creatine (37.2%) • Herbs are often contaminated/have unknown origins
• Beta-2 Agonists
• Bambuterol, Formoterol, Higenamine • Vitamin C (32.4%)
(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NCAA_logo.svg)
What is unique about these top 5 supplements? 2/5 are
NOT A COMPLETE LIST! labeled as being impermissible by the NCAA! https://www.nutrigility.com/choosing-the-right-supplements-for-exercise-and-health/
• A full list can be found in the updated NCAA • Creatine and Energy Drinks. How Can Universities Aid In the Athlete Education of
Banned Substance List on the NCAA website. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Supplements?
Recently, study conducted in 2020 recorded similar data The NCAA recommends that Universities....
based on 557 D1 athletes. They found that 45.2% of the • Develop written policies about the use and abuse of
Statistics on Banned Substance Use in the NCAA athletes who were screened took supplements 2 or recreational substances (NCAA Sport Science Institute,
more times a week (Barrack et. al)! 6).
• Create a student handbook that includes NCAA drug
testing policies, list of banned substances,
conference/institutional rules regarding the use of
alcohol/drugs/supplements and the consequences for
rule violation.
• Student-athlete compliance forms, beginning of the
year orientations, team meetings concerning
These same athletes were also screened regarding why conference/university drug policies.
they consumed supplements (Barrack et. al). References
• Annette Dickinson, “History and overview of DSHEA,” Fitoterapia, Volume 82, Issue 1, 2011, Pages 5-10
Barnes, Kenneth P., and Catherine R. Rainbow. “Update on Banned Substances 2013.” Sports Health, vol. 5, no. 5, Sept. 2013, pp.
442–447, doi:10.1177/1941738113478546.
• Link, Lauren, and Rachel Clark. “Evaluating Supplements: For Legality, Efficacy, and Safety.” Sportsrd, CSPDA,
https://www.sportsrd.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Evaluating-Supplements.pdf
• Barrack, Michelle T et al. “An Investigation of Habitual Dietary Supplement Use Among 557 NCAA Division I Athletes.” Journal of the
American College of Nutrition vol. 39,7 (2020): 619-627. doi:10.1080/07315724.2020.1713247
• “Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994.” NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, https://ods.od.nih.gov/About/DSHEA_Wording.aspx.
• Froiland, Kathryn, et al. “Nutritional Supplement Use Among College Athletes and Their Sources of Information.” International
• Black = Last 30 days Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism, vol. 14, no. 1, Feb. 2004, pp. 104–120.
https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=3c936567-bb42-4a5a-a5c4-b1bad1ffd884%40redis&bdata=JkF1dGhUe
• Grey Bar = Past 12 months
XBlPWlwJnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=12399401&db=s3h
• Jennifer F. Buckman, Samantha G. Farris, David A. Yusko, A national study of substance use behaviors among NCAA male athletes
who use banned performance enhancing substances, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Volume 131, Issues 1–2, 2013, Pages 50-55,
• White Bar = Lifetime https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037687161300152X
• NCAA. “Buyer Beware! Dietary Supplements, Student-Athlete Eligibility and Health.” NCAA.org - the Official Site of the NCAA,
• PES using athletes are more likely to use other Sidearm Sports,
https://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/topics/buyer-beware-dietary-supplements-student-athlete-eligibility-and-health
substances (some banned) than non-PES users.
• Sports Science Institute, NCAA. “NCAA DRUG-TESTING PROGRAM | 2020-21.” NCAA Drug Testing Program, NCAA, 2020,
https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/ssi/substance/2020-21SSI_DrugTestingProgramBooklet.pdf
ANSWER: SO MANY ATHLETES USE SUPPLEMENTS WITH LITTLE KNOWLEDE OF WHAT IS IN THEM!