As high school athletes prepare for their upcoming seasons, there are new warnings about the dangers of nutritional supplements.
"We keep saying supplements are the biggest problem. Stay away from supplements," said Steve Timko, the executive director of the New Jersey High School Athletic Association. "(Young athletes) can walk into any type of health food store and get almost anything they’re looking for – and that’s scary to me."
Timko is most concerned about impurities that can be found in supplements -- which are not subject to FDA approval before hitting market -- that promise to help build muscle or lose weight.
Dr. Eric Small, a pediatric sports medicine specialist in Mount Kisko, said that because they don't get approval, "you don't know exactly what you're getting" when they're purchased.
"The supplements in general do not work," Small said. "But in a third of the cases, these supplements have impurities in them such as caffeine, growth hormone, testosterone."
Millions of students are using supplements. A July 2016 study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics found 39 percent of high school boys and 18 percent of girls have used supplements.
In a statement to News 4 New York, the Center for Responsible Nutrition, which represents the supplement industry said, "There are many legitimate sports nutrition products that can be beneficial for young athletes. However, these products should be used in consultation with parents, coaches, and healthcare practitioners, and in addition to—not as replacements for—healthy diet, appropriate exercise and hard work. Our society should not push our children to the point where they choose to place winning above all else."
