Late last year, Dragons’ Den’s Steven Bartlett was given a rap on his entrepreneurial knuckles after a BBC investigation found that The Diary of a CEO host had allowed guests to relay potentially harmful health misinformation challenge-free.
Claims from guests included that cancer can be treated by following a keto diet rather than proven treatments.
Why is this relevant to cyclists? Well, have you ever bought a product based on a claim of riding ‘X’ amount faster with one scoop of powder?
Most of us have, the promise of easy speed being too tempting to ignore. Unfortunately, you soon realise that the only thing your supplement is transforming is your intestines.
Our sport is ripe for proclamations of riding higher, faster and longer. But how can you ensure what you’re buying is based on scientific rigour and not haphazard hyperbole?
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Don’t believe the hype
“The first thing we should all be aware of is that you should trust your inner sceptic,” says respected endurance-sport coach Joe Beer.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
So, if a brand is suggesting its product will make you 10% faster, look the other way.
“For even the most proven supplement, you’re looking at no more than a 2% improvement,” says Beer.
“That’s still a boon, but much more than that, and there could be little substance behind the claims.”
That substance needs verifying, and via impartial means, such as independent studies.
“That takes some research, but search engines like ResearchGate are really useful,” says Beer. “Of course, we’re time-pushed, meaning few will go to these lengths. And if you do, you’re right to ask how bulletproof that study is. Well, that’s where meta-analysis comes in…”
Meta-analysis is when researchers pool data from many studies on the same subject matter and undertake a statistical review to determine whether the claims are significant or not.
This results in a thorough overview of the literature and a more rounded conclusion. It’s the scientific ideal, albeit imperfect, because the methodologies of the pooled studies might be poor.
Check your statements
“It’s why you should seek out ‘position statements’ from respected bodies, like the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) or Australian Institute of Sport (AIS),” says Beer.
“They’ll have dug deep into the research before making any conclusions.”
Take the AIS’s 2022 position statement on supplement use, in which one of the world’s most respected sporting bodies breaks down recommendations into four categories: A, B, C and D.
A is for ergogenic aids that are backed up by “strong scientific evidence” for use in “specific situations in sport using evidence-based protocols”.
These include sports foods such as energy gels and protein drinks, plus supplements “that support or enhance sports performance” – namely, caffeine, beta-alanine, bicarbonate, beetroot juice/nitrate, creatine and glycerol.
B is based on emerging scientific support, deserving of further research. This category includes pickle juice, collagen supplements, fish oils, carnitine and ketones.
C is for products where scientific evidence is “not supportive of benefits amongst athletes” or there has been “no research undertaken to guide an informed opinion”.
Here lie branched chain amino acids, tyrosine and vitamin E. As for D, these are generally substances that are either banned or at high risk of contamination and could lead to a positive doping test.
“Those statements really help guide consumers,” says Beer. “Beyond that, if you become more interested in the exercise physiology, look out for respected names who pop up a lot.”
From our side, we’d recommend following the social media channels and/or work of experts such as Asker Jeukendrup, Luc van Loon, Andrew Jones, Inigo Mujika, Kirsty Sale and Louise Burke. They offer evidence-based advice, much of it from their own extensive research.
Be realistic
So, are you good to go in your quest to maximise those marginal gains? Not quite. “Just remember two further pointers,” says Beer. “One is that you may not even benefit from proven supplements. The second is that what works for elite athletes may not work for you.”
“When it comes to proven supplements, I’ll use nitrates as an example,” adds Beer. “This has been shown to help endurance by boosting blood flow and is commonly taken in beetroot-shot form because of its high concentration of nitrates."
But it might not work for everyone. If you’re someone who doesn’t consume many nitrate-rich foods, such as beetroot and kale, you might feel like you’ve taken rocket fuel; if your diet’s already filled with nitrates, the difference in performance might be imperceptible.
“As for the elites, if they say a supplement like ketones works for them, it’s because they’ve already ticked off all the major gains, like consistent training and a healthy, energising diet (or because they’ve been paid to say as much!).
"As boring as it sounds, most of us will be faster, fitter and leaner by doing the essentials.
"Anything else won’t have anywhere near the same impact.”
Continuing Beer’s elite theme, there is good news for amateur athletes, in that what works for us might not work for the world’s best.
Sticking with beetroot, the consensus is that recreational athletes benefit more than elite athletes.
That’s because a meta-analysis of studies suggests that if your VO₂ max is greater than 65ml/min/kg, the effects are pretty small.
Where do you go from here? Well, if you’ve done your research and are persuaded by the evidence, ensure you follow the protocol.
It sounds obvious, but any mooted gains will remain absent if you don’t stick to the guidelines.
To use beetroot once again as our example, a potential increase in endurance will be wiped out by antibacterial mouthwash, because this kills the bacteria in your mouth and so stops the whole process of increasing bloodflow.
This proves that it’s definitely a case of reading the instructions first when it comes to taking these supplements.
