SynthesisEuropean journal of clinical pharmacology2022
Sports nutrition supplements and adverse events - a meta-epidemiological study of case reports specifically addressing causality assessment.
Synthesis in European journal of clinical pharmacology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Review
- "Common questions and misconceptions about dietary supplements and the industry - What does science and the law really say?"Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2025Review
- Effects of fungal supplementation on endurance, immune function, and hematological profiles in adult athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Review
- Article
- How Sports Health Professionals Perceive and Prescribe Nutritional Supplements to Olympic and Non-Olympic Athletes.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis meta-epidemiological study aimed to systematically review case reports regarding sports nutrition supplements and adverse events (AEs), specifically addressing the issue of causality assessments.
methodsThrough a systematic literature search we identified all published case reports of AEs associated with sports nutrition supplements between 1 January 2008 and 1 March 2019. Data regarding AEs, suspected supplements, relevant causality assessment factors and the reporting of clinical reasoning and/or systematic causality assessment methods were extracted.
resultsIn all, 72 publications were included, reporting 134 supplements and 37 different AEs in 97 patients (85% males; median age: 30 years [range: 14-60]). Information regarding previous health and regular prescription drugs was not presented in 30% (29/97) and 46% (45/97) of cases, respectively. In 23% (22/97) of the cases, no alternative cause was mentioned. Clinical reasoning was identified in 63% (61/97), and in 13% (8/61) of these, a systematic causality assessment method was applied. In cases with clinical reasoning, a theoretic rationale (92% vs 78%, P = 0.05), a description of previous cases (90% vs 72%, P = 0.021) and body fluid analysis (18% vs 3%, P = 0.027) were reported to a greater extent. Among cases with clinical reasoning, the application of a systematic causality assessment method captured additional important aspects: use of medication (100% vs 55%, P = 0.015), alcohol use (88% vs 43%, P = 0.020) and illicit drug use (88% vs 40%, P = 0.011).
conclusionsIn published case reports where sports nutrition supplements were suspected to have caused AEs, essential factors for causality assessment were left out in a non-negligible proportion. Clinical reasoning was identified in most cases whereas a systematic causality assessment method was applied in a minority. Factors of importance for causality assessment were reported to a greater extent in cases including clinical reasoning, and the application of a systematic causality assessment method captured additional aspects of importance.
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