Use of dietary supplements by UK Service personnel

1. Use of dietary supplements by UK Service personnel Energy requirements depend on an individual’s level of physical activity will vary from day to day, and from task to task. A diet that provides adequate energy from a wide range of foods can meet the carbohydrate, protein, fat and micronutrient requirements of physical training and operations. Food provided by the MOD is scientifically researched and designed to provide the daily dietary intake required to sustain service personnel in all military environments. There is evidence that soldiers predominantly dependant on Operational Ration Packs (ORP) supplemented by limited quantities of frozen meat and fresh vegetables, in the harsh operational environment of Sangin, suffered no degradation in physical performance over the 6 month period of the deployment. In general, short-term energy restriction involving minimal loss of body mass has little effect on performance or health in otherwise healthy individuals. Losses of body mass in the region of 6 – 10% or higher have been shown to impair performance in a military setting, although this is not a consistent observation. Dietary supplements should not be used to compensate for poor food choices and an inadequate diet where a choice exists, but dietary supplements that provide additional energy and / or essential nutrients may be useful when food intake or food choices are restricted for reasons including operational constraints, travel, and periods when preparation and / or consumption of adequate meals is not possible or desirable. The use of dietary supplements in such instances would reduce the risk of developing nutrient deficiencies that could impair both health and performance. A small number of dietary supplements may enhance performance when used in accordance with current evidence under the guidance of a well-informed professional,3 and / or using MOD approved supporting guidance written by experts in the area. Suitable professionals include registered nutritionists, registered dieticians, and other professionals with recognised expertise in performance-related nutrition. Service personnel contemplating the use of dietary supplements should consider their efficacy, their cost, the risk to health and performance, and the potential for a positive CDT. The use of multiple dietary supplements at one time (stacking) should be discouraged. Dietary supplement use by children (i.e. individuals under 18 years of age) should also be discouraged. In the UK, the HFL Sports Science2 owned “Informed-Sport programme” was set up with the support of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) to evaluate the process integrity of supplement manufacturers and to screen supplements and ingredients for contamination. Products that have passed this screening process can be found atwww.informed-sport.com Created by: stewart.kearney927@mod.uk