Aug 6, 2026NATA position statement aims to help ATs, athletes navigate supplement use
The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) has published a position statement, “Evaluation of Dietary Supplements for Athlete Safety and Performance,” to support athletic trainers as they help athletes navigate dietary supplement use as well as ensure trainers have the resources needed to provide education and evaluate the use of supplements.
According to the position statement, approximately 40% of recreational athletes in the United States report using supplements and up to 100% of elite and professional athletes worldwide.
Meanwhile, the global dietary supplement market is expected to reach $435.4 billion by 2034 with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimating between 50,000 and 80,000 dietary supplement products available in the U.S. market.
“Given this information and the amount of time (athletic trainers) spend with active individuals, (they) may be engaging in frequent conversations about dietary supplements,” the paper’s authors said.
The position paper lists 12 recommendations, and key points include:
- Follow the “food first but not always food-only” approach. However, in certain situations, supplements may be appropriate to support health or performance goals.
- Dietary supplements carry risks and supplements are not approved by the FDA before coming to market. Athletes should be educated on the possibility of contamination, inaccurate labeling or other considerations.
- When evaluating a supplement, athletic trainers should ask: Is it safe? Is it effective? Is it legal?
The recommendations were developed as a consensus by the paper’s authors, which include experts in performance and clinical nutrition, ergogenic nutritional supplement research, supplement safety and antidoping, and are geared generally toward adult athletes. The authors said that generalization to children and adolescents should be cautious as recommendations for these age groups could differ from the adult athletic population.
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“Athletic trainers will continue to be on the front lines of helping to determine how to incorporate dietary supplements into their athletes’ health and performance plans,” the authors said. “Ultimately, the athlete assumes the risk for any ingested dietary supplement, but the (trainer) should be prepared to aid in assessing if the supplements taken … are safe, effective and legal for the sport.”
The full position paper is available online via the NATA.
