BJSM reviews: A-Z of nutritional supplements: Dietary supplements, sports nutrition foods and ergogenic aids for health and performance Part 4

Welcome to Part 4 in our A–Z of nutritional supplement series. One of the enjoyable aspects of reviewing the many supplements in a fairly logical order from A to Z means that, every now and then, a review comprises a real assortment of supplements, and Part 4 is certainly one of them! In Part 4, the review takes us from aspartame, a sweetening ingredient found in many foods and drinks, to BCAA, the three branched chain essential amino acids; then onto bee pollen, marketed as a “superfood,” followed by the ultra trace element boron, known more for its association with bone health, and finally to L-carnitine, a supplement which is widely used in the sporting arena and seems to be gaining in popularity. We are grateful for the excellent contributions from our invited reviewers, which facilitate the provision of access to impartial advice on the value of these individual ingredients and supplements. These contributions are establishing that, for some, the performance evidence is limited or simply does not yet exist. In the January 2010 issue, we will be turning our attention to “buffers,” where we will be covering the key ones used by many athletes, such as beta-alanine and carnosine, together with the two more established compounds of sodium bicarbonate and sodium citrate.