Intro Lecture

Question 1

Give 3 examples of reasons of athletes taking supplements

Answer 1

• Correction of deficiency
• Sponsorship
• Performance enhancing
• Convenience (e.g. tour de france to meet dietary requirements)
• Keep up with other competitors if it is perceived everyone else is taking them

Question 2

Give 3 issues of PED legalisation

Answer 2

	Health risks
	Unfair advantage to those who don’t
	Coercion
	Drugs vs other performance enhancing technologies
	Effectiveness of drug testing
	Sportsmanship
	Role Models, for young athletes

Question 3

What are the three categories of WADA prohibited drugs?

Answer 3

1. Prohibited always (in/out of competition)
2. Prohibited in competition
3. Prohibited in certain sports

Question 4

Give 3 general supplementation issues

Answer 4

• Legality of the supplement
• Safety
• Purity

Question 5

Give the 5 PED categories

Answer 5

1. Fuels
2. Nitrates
3. Buffers
4. Stimulants
5. Antioxidants

Question 6

Describe Group A supplements

Answer 6

well researched and have been shown to have true beneficial effects e.g. caffeine

Question 7

Describe Group B supplements

Answer 7

some beneficial research, but it is ongoing e.g. Cherries

Question 8

Describe Group C supplements

Answer 8

little or no evidence

Question 9

Describe Group D supplements

Answer 9

may be on the banned list, or have a very high risk of contamination and should not be used

Question 10

What are the target serum levels for vitamin D

Answer 10

~75 mmol/l

Question 11

Give some examples of Vitamin D rich food/drink

Answer 11

cod liver oil, orange juice, oily fish or egg yolk

Question 12

Describe the process of vitamin D absorption

Answer 12

The sun converts pre-cholecalciferol (and other precursors) in the skin, into Vitamin D3.
Vitamin D3 is then activated by a liver enzyme to form 25[OH]D, which either travels to the kidney for processing into 1α25[OH]2D

Question 13

Close et al 2013 found that 37% of athletes were deficient in vitamin D? True or False

Answer 13

True

Question 14

In which season is there a decline in vitamin D levels

Answer 14

Winter

Question 15

What are consequences of vitamin D deficiency?

Answer 15

deficiency decreases calcium and phosphate absorption, and bone mineral density… leading to an increased risk of osteoporosis or fractures.
Muscle function- affects calcium kinetics (essential for contraction/strength of muscle), and myoblast differentiation (muscle regeneration).

Question 16

How effective is vitamin D supplementation

Answer 16

It improves serum levels of vitamin D, and there was a greater increase in those already deficient. However, there was no effect on performance if not pre-deficient as muscle strength did not improve. However, supplementation improved 10m sprint time and vertical jump height if they were deficient to begin with, and did improve immune function

Question 17

What are pre-biotics

Answer 17

o Can only be metabolised by gut bacteria, and not human host

Question 18

What are syn-biotics

Answer 18

o Combination of pre and probiotics

Question 19

What are pro-biotics

Answer 19

o Live bacteria cultures

Question 20

Give 3 beneficial effects of pro-biotics

Answer 20

• enhancement of the epithelial barrier
  2. increased adhesion to intestinal mucosa
  3. inhibition of pathogen adhesion
  4. competitive exclusion of pathogenic micro-organisms
  5. production of anti-microorganism substances
  6. modulation of the immune system