For example, JOURNAL OF SPORT SCIENCE AND MEDICINE (2007)
n. 6 - 337-342, article about "Supplements use by Young athletes", by Jill Anne McDowall - University of Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Here there is some interesting part of the article :
Introduction
"Nutrition is an important aspect of an athlete’s training
program. Although exercise and athletic training is considered to increase nutrient needs in some athletes, a balanced diet with adequate calories can potentially provide
the necessary nutrients (American Dietetic Association,
2000; Maughan et al., 2004). It is likely, however, that for
various reasons, not all athletes are able to consume a diet
that meets their nutritional needs and thus resort to nutritional supplements with the intention of preventing deficiencies and even enhancing performance (Maughan et
al., 2004)".
"Today, the supplement industry IS AN INTERNATIONAL MARKET WORTH BILLION DOLLARS. In 2000, it was reported
that sales of dietary supplements in the US reached
US$17.1 billion with an annual increase in consumer
spending of more than 10% (Food and Drug Administration,
2002). Although many individuals use supplements,
those engaged in sport and physical activity represent a
substantial portion of the population purchasing supplements
(Maughan et al., 2004)".
"With the supplement market being what it is today, supplements are readily available to athletes and are more
accepted within the athletic culture, thus investigation into current supplementation behaviours is warranted. This
review will look at the current literature on supplement
use among young athletes, a POPULATION PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO THE HYPE AND CLAIMS PUT FORTH BY THE SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY".
"Prevalence of supplement use :
First, to place the current paediatric literature into context it is necessary to briefly summarise the adult literature. A major area of the adult research literature regarding athlete supplement use focuses on athletes at the university or college level, thus involving athletes over the age of 18 and adult athletes (Froiland et al., 2004; Kristiansen et al., 2005; Sobal and Marquart, 1994a).
A study involving athletes attending a US Division I university revealed that 89% OF THE SUBJECTS HAD USED SUPPLEMENTS or were using supplements at the time the study took place (Froiland et al., 2004).
Another study involving US NCAA Division I university student athletes found that 88% OF RESPONDENTS
CONSUMED AT LEAST ONE NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENT (on daily basis) and 58% USED TWO OR MORE SUPPLEMENTS (Burns et al., 2004).
Additionally, Canadian varsity athletes (94.3%) have been
found to use one or more supplements at least once per
month, on daily basis (Kristiansen et al., 2005)".
"Supplement use among elite athletes is well documented,
as a high percentage of Canadian Olympic athletes
were found to consume dietary supplements at the
Atlanta (69%) and Sydney (74%) Olympic Games
(Huang et al., 2006), 77% Singaporean elite athletes reported consuming dietary supplements (Slater et al.,
2003), and a high prevalence of supplement use was
found among competitive athletes (53%) in the United
Kingdom (Airstone et al., 2005). The population reported
to most frequently engage in supplementation is elite
athletes who compete at national, international, and
Olympic levels (Sobal and Marquart, 1994a). For example,
Erdman et al., (2006) found that 88.4% of Canadian
elite athletes competing at the provincial, varsity, national, North American, and international/professional
levels reported taking one or more dietary supplements".
"To specifically investigate CREATINE use among young athletes, Metzl et al.(2001) surveyed middle and high school athletes aged 10 to 18 YEARS AND FOUND THAT 62% REPORTED USING CREATINE.
THIS USAGE IS DESPITE RECCOMMENDATIONS FOR ATHLETES UNDER THE AGE OF 18 NOT TO CONSUME IT OR ANY PERFORMANCE ENHANCING SUBSTANCE (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2005).
Although the risks associated with vitamin and
mineral supplementation are not as severe as the risks
involved with using ergogenic aids such as steroids, amphetamines, and human growth hormone, YOUNG ATHLETES COULD POTENTIALLY START OUT USING VITAMIN AND MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS, THEN PROGRESS TO MORE DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES
(Sobal and Marquart, 1994b)".
"Many dietary or nutritional supplements have the reputation of being harmless because they consist mainly of naturally occurring compounds and tend to be advertised as safe and legal performance-enhancing substances as opposed to the banned substances such as anabolic steroids.
UNFORTUNATELY, DESPITE THEIR SEEMINGLY "NATURAL" COMPOSITION, NOT ALL SUPPLEMENTS ARE TESTED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) THEREFORE CLAIMS OF SAFENESS AND
RELIABILITY CANNOT BE TRUSTED (Metzl et al., 2001).
The effects and dosage recommendations of supplements are also not regulated so there is no guarantee that they will provide the alleged outcome (Clarkson et al., 2002)".
"Furthermore, taking single vitamins and minerals is potentially harmful, as large doses can lead to toxicity and interactions with other nutrients (Kim and Keen, 1999; Maughan et al., 2004; Sobal and Herbert, 1988)".
"The influence of elite and professional athletes engaging
in supplement use cannot be ignored. Highly publicized
accounts of athletes, who are idolized by children
and adolescents, using supplements and ergogenic aids
may glamorize supplement use and encourage young
athletes to mimic their actions (Calfee and Fadale, 2006).
Young athletes are under great pressure to attain
increasingly higher levels in sport, thus they may be enticed to seek alternative means to be able play at elite
levels or to be noticed by professional scouts. The high
economic value and social status of a professional athletic
career may lure young athletes to engage in supplement
use as a means for developing the competitive edge to
‘make it’ as a professional sports person (Calfee and
Fadale, 2006).
The desire to play sport at the varsity or collegiate
level is another justification for young athletes to engage
in supplement use. Athletes expecting to play sports after
secondary school are more likely to take dietary supplements
(Sobal and Marquart, 1994b).
In North America,
playing sport at the university or college level comes at a
high financial cost thus the quest to secure and maintain
an athletic scholarship may be another motivator for using
performance-enhancing substances (Calfee and Fadale,
2006)".
"Vitamins and minerals are considered a nutritional supplement, however, it is possible that athletes, who are generally concerned about their health and aware of the impact optimal health has on athletic performance, view vitamins and minerals as more of a pharmaceutical or medicine than a supplement. Since vitamin and mineral use is so prevalent among athletes, it is likely that there is a misunderstanding as to the role of vitamins and minerals in the diet, their function in maintaining overall health, their role in athletic performance, and how they are best obtained from the diet".
How you can see, 89% of athletes in Div I, and 94,3 % of Canadian students, use on daily basis one supplement, while 58% use 2 or more supplements every day.
This is the American culture. Europe is a little bit behind, but not so much. Africa is very much behind : for the most part of African athletes, the best supplement is when they are finally able to have food enough to eat.
This is what I say, and, howthe researchers clearly pointed, starting so Young with legal supplements, many times brings Young people to "cross the line" (sometimes unconsciously) taking some "official" doping.
No generalization, BUT A FACT.