Use of Nutritional Strategies, Bioactive Compounds, and Dietary Supplements in Young Athletes: From Evidence to Potential Risks-A Narrative Review.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing published literature without systematic review methodology
PubMed 40647297 · doi:10.3390/nu17132194
What was done
A narrative review of literature from the past 30 years across PubMed/Medline, Embase, and Scopus evaluated the efficacy, safety, and physiological effects of bioactive compounds and dietary supplements in young athletes aged 8–20 years. Included designs were original research articles, clinical trials, cohort and case-control studies, and meta-analyses, supplemented by preclinical and adult literature for mechanistic context.
What was found
Twenty-one pediatric-focused studies were identified: 8 evaluated recovery and muscle soreness, 6 evaluated immune function or antioxidant/anti-inflammatory effects, and 7 evaluated direct performance enhancement across compounds including omega-3 fatty acids, curcumin, caffeine, creatine, and antioxidant vitamins. The abstract reports no numerical effect sizes or quantitative outcome data, noting that the broader evidence base remains predominantly derived from adult populations.
Why it matters
It highlights that adult supplementation findings cannot be directly generalized to growing athletes and emphasizes that current pediatric evidence remains insufficient for routine recommendations.
Limits
The paper is a narrative review without systematic appraisal or quantitative synthesis. Direct evidence in young athletes is sparse (only 21 studies across multiple diverse compounds), with lingering safety and contamination concerns.