L'uso dei supplementi negli atleti tra cultura, etica ed educazione allo sport

The book collects interdisciplinary contributions of the first seminar promoted by CEFAR on December 18, 2019 on nutritional and ergogenic supplements. The three authors argue that the current issue of nutritional supplements in sport is controversial. However, on the other hand, it is extremely interesting and topical both for the sports sciences and Olympic ethics. In the case of the absence of information and medical advice, the use of these supplements may imply a real risk to the health of athletes and sportspeople. The borderline between nutrition and doping, in fact, in the case of dietary supplements for sports, appears very blurred and hard to define. According to the authors’ opinion, it is necessary to analyze and understand, through an interdisciplinary approach, the risks associated with the use of these substances and to grasp the ethical, educational, physical, and medical implications that such use may have both for athletes and sportspeople of all ages. The main aim of the book is to approach, through an interdisciplinary perspective (mainly ethical, educational, and medical), all relevant issues dealing with the use of nutritional supplements by athletes and sportspeople. The problems have been approached considering the Olympic values. The three authors have identified the boundary line that exists between nutrition and doping. Moreover, they have stressed the imporatance of implementing educational strategies that, by overcoming the descriptiveness of the current scientific approach, can lead to critical and reflective education practices in athletes and sportspeople who use nutritional supplements to improve their performance.