Supplements Linked to Increase in Heatstroke Deaths in Athletes
Neurosurgery 2002;51:283-288. Suzanne Rostler
A surge in the use of two popular dietary supplements over the past 7 years may have helped to fuel the rate of death from heatstroke among professional football players, according to a team of scientists.
Ephedrine, sold as a weight-loss supplement and energy enhancer; and creatine, promoted to build muscles, can both increase the risk of dehydration, particularly during hot weather.
Campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers of dehydration have helped to reduce deaths from heatstroke among American football players in recent years. Six athletes died of heatstroke between 1985 and 1994, compared with 44 between 1965 and 1974.
However, 15 deaths from heatstroke were recorded between 1995 and 2001--all during the summer preseason period, researchers report in the August issue of Neurosurgery.
"Dehydration and programmed drinking and electrolyte replacement are all appreciated among athletes and coaches," Dr. Julian Bailes, the article's lead author and chairman of neurosurgery at West Virginia University in Morgantown, said in an interview with Reuters Health.
"So the most obvious thing to us is changes in athletes' behavior, and there is no bigger change that we're aware of," said Dr. Bailes, who also works as a health consultant to the National Football League Players Association.
The popularity of ephedrine has spurred the National Football League (NFL) and the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) to ban the use of these products. Professional players who are caught taking ephedrine or pseudoephedrine can be suspended for four games during the 2002 football season.
Nonetheless, many athletes continue to take ephedrine and related compounds to get an edge over their competitors. "There is a lot of pressure to comply with what everyone else is doing, to get a competitive edge," Dr. Bailes explained.
He said studies have shown that more than 70% of college athletes and up to 50% of high school athletes are taking some type of performance-enhancing supplement, including steroids. These figures may actually be higher, he said, since they are based on numbers of athletes who admitted to taking supplements.
Ephedrine, also sold as Ma-huang or "herbal energy," has amphetamine-like effects and has been linked to a series of deaths among both athletes and people trying to loss weight.
Creatine monohydrate is marketed as an energy enhancer and muscle-building supplement, but its purported effects have not been backed up by scientific studies. The supplement may also cause a shift in body fluid to muscles from the blood, increasing the risk of dehydration, especially when the risk is already high, such as during the summer.
Indeed, there have been several reports of diarrhea, muscle cramps and heat intolerance among athletes who took creatine, Dr. Bailes and colleagues note.
The report is based on a review of data from the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, a group that issues annual reports on deaths and injuries from amateur and professional sports.
Neurosurgery 2002;51:283-288. Suzanne Rostler
A surge in the use of two popular dietary supplements over the past 7 years may have helped to fuel the rate of death from heatstroke among professional football players, according to a team of scientists.
Ephedrine, sold as a weight-loss supplement and energy enhancer; and creatine, promoted to build muscles, can both increase the risk of dehydration, particularly during hot weather.
Campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers of dehydration have helped to reduce deaths from heatstroke among American football players in recent years. Six athletes died of heatstroke between 1985 and 1994, compared with 44 between 1965 and 1974.
However, 15 deaths from heatstroke were recorded between 1995 and 2001--all during the summer preseason period, researchers report in the August issue of Neurosurgery.
"Dehydration and programmed drinking and electrolyte replacement are all appreciated among athletes and coaches," Dr. Julian Bailes, the article's lead author and chairman of neurosurgery at West Virginia University in Morgantown, said in an interview with Reuters Health.
"So the most obvious thing to us is changes in athletes' behavior, and there is no bigger change that we're aware of," said Dr. Bailes, who also works as a health consultant to the National Football League Players Association.
The popularity of ephedrine has spurred the National Football League (NFL) and the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) to ban the use of these products. Professional players who are caught taking ephedrine or pseudoephedrine can be suspended for four games during the 2002 football season.
Nonetheless, many athletes continue to take ephedrine and related compounds to get an edge over their competitors. "There is a lot of pressure to comply with what everyone else is doing, to get a competitive edge," Dr. Bailes explained.
He said studies have shown that more than 70% of college athletes and up to 50% of high school athletes are taking some type of performance-enhancing supplement, including steroids. These figures may actually be higher, he said, since they are based on numbers of athletes who admitted to taking supplements.
Ephedrine, also sold as Ma-huang or "herbal energy," has amphetamine-like effects and has been linked to a series of deaths among both athletes and people trying to loss weight.
Creatine monohydrate is marketed as an energy enhancer and muscle-building supplement, but its purported effects have not been backed up by scientific studies. The supplement may also cause a shift in body fluid to muscles from the blood, increasing the risk of dehydration, especially when the risk is already high, such as during the summer.
Indeed, there have been several reports of diarrhea, muscle cramps and heat intolerance among athletes who took creatine, Dr. Bailes and colleagues note.
The report is based on a review of data from the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, a group that issues annual reports on deaths and injuries from amateur and professional sports.
