Performance Enhancing Drugs

The keys to good health and successful athletic performance are a carefully designed, healthful, and nutritionally balanced diet and well-developed program which promotes a "food-first" philosophy, says a helpful new position statement on evaluating dietary supplements from the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA).

Reviewing current information about the content, benefits, and risks of the use of energy drinks by teens, a group of military doctors expressed "great concern" over the safety and negative effects of energy drinks, given their high caffeine content and the common practice on college campuses (and most likely at the high school level as well) of mixing energy drinks with alcohol.

The use of muscle-enhancing behaviors among middle and high school boys and girls - including such unhealthy behaviors as using protein powders or shakes, steroids, and other muscle-enhancing substances - is substantially higher than previously reported, a new study finds.

In the wake of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, a two-time Olympic track cyclist says she never regretted her decision not to dope because she can look back at her entire cycling career and know that everything she accomplished was clean, and be proud.

The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) has issued a valuable new position statement summarizing the best available evidence related to the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and calling for improved understanding of AAS in the sports medicine and athletic communities.

The controversy surrounding the Chinese swimmer, Ye Shiwen, who won a gold medal this week in the 400 Individual Medley, has every news show buzzing about whether she is doping. A two-time Olympic track cyclist weighs in.

MomsTeam nutrition expert Nancy Clark reports on the latest research from the ACSM Annual Meeting on the importance of physical exercise, nutrition for the injured athlete, and creatine safety.

Sean Sterner did things on the field of play that no high school soccer player before him ever did, defying even the laws of physics themselves. However, all of that came at a cost, and now when people look at him, all they see is an asterisk.