Efficacy and Safety of Pre-Workout Supplement Ingredients: A review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56200/mentor.v5i2.12253Keywords:
Pre-workout supplements, Athletic performance, Adverse effects, Safety, EfficacyAbstract
In recent years, there has been a proliferation in gyms of the search for nutritional strategies to improve sports performance, such as the use of pre-workout supplements. The objective of this study was to analyze the safety profile of pre-workout supplements to establish clear, evidence-based criteria to guide athletes in their consumption. To this end, a narrative literature review was conducted. The results show that creatine, caffeine, and beta-alanine have the strongest evidence for both ergogenic efficacy and safety profile, being well tolerated at recommended doses. In contrast, L-arginine, alpha-ketoglutarate, L-lysine, and L-tyrosine (for physical performance) present weak or null evidence of efficacy in trained athletes. L-arginine stands out, showing formal contraindications (acute myocardial infarction, herpes) and serious drug interactions (antihypertensives, anticoagulants, sildenafil). Evidence on the long-term safety of multi-ingredient formulas is scarce. It is concluded that only a limited subset of components justifies their ergogenic use, and decision-making regarding the consumption of these products requires a critical and individualized assessment by health professionals.
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