Group B Supplements in Sport

Supplements with emerging scientific support, considered for use by athletes under a research or case-managed monitoring situation.

Sports foods and supplements can play a small but important role in the sports nutrition plans of high performance athletes. Sporting organisations, sports science and medicine practitioners, coaches and athletes all contribute to a pragmatic and transparent approach that balances the pros and cons of supplement/sports food use by considering: is it safe? Is it effective? Is it permitted for use in sport?

The ABCD Classification system ranks sports foods and supplement ingredients into four groups according to scientific evidence and other practical considerations that determine whether a product is safe, permitted and effective in improving sports performance.

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

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Group A

Evidence level: Strong scientific evidence for use in specific situations in sport using evidence-based protocols.

Use within Supplement Programs: Permitted for use by identified athletes according to best practice protocols.

View Example Supplements

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Group B

Evidence level: Emerging scientific support, deserving of further research. Considered for use by athletes under a research protocol or case-managed monitoring situation.

Use within Supplement Programs: Considered for use by identified individual athletes within research or clinical monitoring situations.

Note: Some of the products currently listed in Group B have been included due to their historic interest by Key Stakeholders.

View Example Supplements

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Group C

Evidence level: Scientific evidence not supportive of benefit amongst athletes OR no research undertaken to guide an informed opinion.

Use within Supplement Programs: Not advocated for use by athletes within Supplement Programs. May be permitted for use by identified athletes where there is specific approval from, or reporting to, a Sports Supplement Panel.

View Example Supplements

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Group D

Evidence level: Banned or at high risk of contamination with substances that could lead to a positive doping test.

Use within Supplement Programs: Not to be used by athletes.

View Example Supplements

This presentation, by Australia’s very own Prof. Louise Burke, explores supplements that sit in Group B of the AIS Supplement Framework, including:

• Fruit Derived Polyphenols

• Menthol

• Ketone Supplements