Up to 90% of Elite Athletes Use Supplements, Facing 1-in-10 Contamination Risk
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 20
Up to 90% of Elite Athletes Use Supplements, Facing 1-in-10 Contamination Risk
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 20
Summary
Protein powders, creatine and vitamin D are now routine for elite athletes chasing small gains in muscle repair, energy and recovery, with experts saying supplement use likely reaches nearly all top competitors.
Creatine helped drive that shift after claims in the 1990s that it could lift explosive performance by 1-3%; by the 1996 Olympics, an estimated 80% of athletes were taking it.
One in 10 supplements may be contaminated with banned substances, according to Informed Sport, and product contamination accounted for 8% of anti-doping violations between 2005 and 2022.
Four-year bans can still apply even when a prohibited substance is taken unintentionally, pushing athletes to use batch-tested products, log batch numbers and, in some cases, inspect factories.
Food still comes first for many athletes, who weigh cost, taste and safety against marginal benefits as the global supplements market grows from $209.5 billion in 2025 toward $431.7 billion by 2033.