Nutritional Supplements

Division I institutions should note that pursuant to NCAA Bylaw 16.5.2.2 (Proposal No. 99-72), which became effective August 1, 2000, institutions may provide only non-muscle-building nutritional supplements for the purpose of providing additional calories and electrolytes, provided they do not contain any NCAA-banned substances. Please note that there is an error in the 2000-01 Division I Manual relating to the new Bylaw 16.5.2.2. The second sentence should read as follows: "Permissible non-muscle-building nutritional supplements are identified according to the following classes: carbohydrate/electrolyte drinks, energy bars, carbohydrate boosters, and vitamins and minerals." In adopting Proposal No. 99-72, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors noted a lack of long-term studies on the possible side effects of muscle-building supplements and agreed that muscle-building supplements are performance-enhancing and provide a competitive advantage to those institutions that can afford to provide these supplements to their student-athletes.

During its July 26 telephone conference, the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet Subcommittee on Legislative Review/Interpretations determined that it is not permissible for an institution to provide nutritional supplements to its student-athletes, unless the supplement is a non-muscle-building supplement and is included in one of the four classes identified in Bylaw 16.5.2.2. Additionally, institutions should note that during its June 28 telephone conference, the subcommittee determined that it is not permissible for an institution or an institutional staff member to sell or arrange the sale of muscle-building supplements to student-athletes since this practice would be contrary to the rationale for the adoption of Proposal No. 99-72. Further, during the June 11 meeting of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, the committee developed a list of nutritional supplements/ingredients identified as permissible and nonpermissible under Bylaw 16.5.2.2. The committee considered input provided to it by relevant outside organizations. The legislation reflects a philosophy that proper nutrition based on scientific principles is one of the tenets to optimal performance. The following lists are not exhaustive but should be used as a guide to understanding the application of the legislation. Please note the example calorie calculations as they relate to the permissibility of energy bars.

Permissible

• Vitamins and minerals     
• Energy bars     
• Calorie-replacement drinks (for example, Ensure, Boost)     
• Electrolyte-replacement drinks (for example, Gatorade, Powerade)

Nonpermissible

• Amino acids     
• Chrysin     
• Condroitin     
• Creatine/creatine-containing compounds     
• Ginseng     
• Glucosamine     
• Glycerol     
• HMB     
• I-carnitin     
• Melatonin     
• Pos-2     
• Protein powders     
• Tribulus
  

Supplements Containing Protein

Also during the July 26 telephone conference, the subcommittee, at the recommendation of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, determined that a supplement that contains protein may be classified as a non-muscle-building supplement, provided it meets all of the following conditions:

• It is included in one of the four permissible categories set forth in 16.5.2.2;     
• It does not contain more than 30 percent of calories from protein (based solely on the package label); and     
• It does not contain additional ingredients that are designed to assist in the muscle-building process (see examples of nonpermissible supplements). To assist the membership in calculating the percentage of calories from protein contained in a particular supplement, please note that one gram of protein equals four calories. Therefore, the percentage of calories from protein contained in a nutritional supplement may be calculated by multiplying the number of grams of protein per serving by four and dividing the product by the total number of calories per serving. The following are examples of this calculation:
  
  
  • Energy bar contains 24 grams of protein with a caloric value of 250. 24 grams times four = 96 calories. 96/250 = .384. Percentage of protein = 38 percent -- as an example, this energy bar would not be permissible.     
  • Energy bar contains 17 grams of protein with a caloric value of 250. 17 grams times four = 68 calories. 68/250 = .272. Percentage of protein = 27 percent -- as an example, this energy bar would be permissible.

This material was provided by the membership services staff as an aid to member institutions. Institutions may direct questions regarding this column to Damani Leech or Brad Hostetter at the NCAA national office. This information is available on the College Sports Network.

NCAA issues notice about nutritional-supplement provision
The NCAA News Online, May 23rd, 2005
Click Here to View Full Article  

The contact for this page is mwilfert@ncaa.org