The Effect of 7 to 8 Months of Vitamin/Mineral Supplementation on Athletic Performance
in International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise MetabolismClick name to view affiliation
The effect of vitamin and mineral supplementation was studied over 7 to 8 months of training and competition in 82 athletes from four sports: basketball, gymnastics, rowing, and swimming. Matched subgroups were formed and a double-blind design used, with subgroups being given either the supplementation or a placebo. All athletes were monitored to ensure that the recommended daily intakes (RDI) of vitamins and minerals were provided by diet alone. Sport-specific and some common tests of strength as well as aerobic and anaerobic fitness were performed. Coaches' assessment of improvement was also obtained. The only significant effect of supplementation was observed in the female basketball players, in which the supplementation was associated with increased body weight, skinfold sum, and jumping ability. A significant increase in skinfold sum was also demonstrated over the whole group as a result of supplementation. In general, however, this study provided little evidence of any effect of supplementation to athletic performance for athletes consuming the dietary RDIs.
Telford and Hahn are with the Dept. of Physiology and Applied Nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport, Box 176, Belconnen, ACT 2616 Australia. Catchpole is with the Dept. of Mathematics, University College, Univ. of New South Wales, Australia. Deakin is with the Dept. of Applied Science, Univ. of Canberra. Plank is with the School of information Technology, Univ. of Southern Queensland.
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