Several recreational, prescription, and illicit drugs have psychotropic effects that may be perceived to be ergogenic. The ephedra alkaloids have received recent attention for their wide use by athletes and their potential serious side effects, despite the lack of evidence regarding any ergogenic or performance benefit. Some prescription drugs (eg, methylphenidate and bupropion) raise complex i...

The indiscriminate use of caffeine by people of all ages may present health hazards. The public at large needs to be more informed of the presence of caffeine in commonly consumed foods and beverages, particularly by infants, children and pregnant women. It is the responsibility of all consumers to investigate the caffeine content of suspected products so that intake may be objectively monitore...

The use of nutritional supplements in sport is widespread and few serious athletes do not, at some stage in their career, succumb to the temptation to experiment with one or more nutritional supplements. Nutritional ergogenic aids are aimed primarily at enhancing performance (either by affecting energy metabolism or by an effect on the central nervous system), at increasing lean body mass or mu...

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of ginseng extract ingestion on physiological responses to intense exercise. Subjects performed a control ride (CN) on a cycle ergometer, followed by placebo (PL) and ginseng (GS) treatments. Ginseng was ingested as 8 or 16 mg/kg body weight daily for 7 days prior to trial GS. Venous blood was sampled for FFA, lactate, and glucose analyses. D...

The desire to win leads physically active individuals to look for anything to improve performance. Many ergogenic aids are available; however, claims made about many of these products are not appropriate. To evaluate such products, one must consider the physiological sense of the claims, the supportive evidence provided, the research articles quoted, and the legal and health implications of use.