Sex Differences In Use And Knowledge Of Third-party Tested Nutritional Supplements In Collegiate Athletes

PURPOSE: To determine sex differences for supplement use, and consistent use of third-party tested (TPT) supplements in collegiate athletes, as well as supplement knowledge, TPT logo recognition and purchasing behavior outside the athletic department. METHODS: A total of 410 student-athletes (12% response rate, 53% female), from six U.S. athletic departments, filled out a web-based questionnaire in 2022-2023, with significance set for Mann-Whitney U tests and Chi-square test at P < 0.05 to detect sex differences. RESULTS: Respondents were 21.4 ± 1.6 years old while participating in >20 sports. A total of 90% (n = 370) reported the use of nutritional supplements, i.e. dietary supplements and ergogenic supplements, of which 38% (n = 140) consistently reported TPT for all supplements used. A sex difference was reported for the total number of supplements used (7 [IQR: 4-11] for females vs. 9 [IQR: 4-12] for males), p = 0.013. No sex difference was reported for consistency of TPT-use (36% [n = 70/197] females vs. 41% [n = 70/173] males), χ2 = 0.952, p = 0.329. Nearly all athletes reported receiving nutritional counseling regardless of sex (93% female [n = 203] vs. 91% [n = 176] male), p = 0.368. A total of 48% of the athletes reported to purchase supplements outside of what was provided by their athletic department. Females (40%, n = 84) purchased nutritional supplements outside the athletic department less often than males (56%, n = 107), χ2 = 11.20, p < 0.001. Hence, male athletes showed 0.5 times greater odds with 95% CI = 0.3-0.8 of purchasing or using supplementation outside their department. Nutritional supplement knowledge based on the NSKQ-scale was not different for sex (33% female [QR: 8%-33%] vs. 33% male [IQR: 8%-42%], p = 0.375). Females (23%, n = 43) recognized TPT organization logos significantly less often (χ2 = 16.63, p < 0.001) than males (42%, n = 90). As a result, males had 2.5 times greater odds at recognizing at least one TPT organization logo than females (OR = 2.5, with 95% CI = 1.6-3.8). CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional supplement use was high in this population, but slightly lower in females than males. No sex difference was detected for supplement knowledge, and despite differences in TPT logo recognition and supplement purchasing behavior, only one-third of both sexes reported consistent TPT supplement use. Supported by: This study was funded by the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietetic Organization (CPSDA)