Athlete supplement use is common in many elite, collegiate and testing populations, but reported levels vary with the definition of a supplement, the sport and the denominator. The figures below distinguish surveys, doping-control declarations and product-level measurements across Spain, Ireland, Japan, Canada and Norway.
Key Athlete Supplement Use Statistics
The most broadly useful figures include:
- 51% of 10,418 doping-control forms contained supplement information in Norway during 2015–2019.
- 64% of 527 Spanish high-performance athletes reported dietary supplement use during the study survey period.
- 62.3% of 138 Irish collegiate student athletes reported supplement use during the study survey period.
- 81.9% of 552 Japanese elite Olympic athletes used at least one supplement in the year before the 2012 London Olympics.
- 74% of Canadian Olympic athletes used supplements at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
- Female Norwegian athletes had supplement information on 57% of doping-control forms during 2015–2019, compared with 49% for males.
- Strength-and-power sports had supplement information on 71.2% of Norwegian doping-control forms during 2015–2019.
- Powerlifting had the highest sport-specific Norwegian prevalence at 78.9% of forms during 2015–2019.
- Protein powders were used by 77.9% of Irish supplement-using collegiate athletes during the study survey period.
- Creatine was used by 37.2% of Irish supplement-using collegiate athletes during the study survey period.
- Amino-acid products were used by 56.2% of Japanese Olympic athletes in the year before the 2012 London Olympics.
- Vitamin D and multivitamins were each used by 47.7% of Irish supplement-using collegiate athletes during the study survey period.
- 43.7% of Japanese Olympic athletes took at least one supplement daily in the year before the 2012 London Olympics.
- 64.0% of Irish supplement users reported taking three or more supplements during the study survey period.
- 59.2% of Japanese Olympic athletes selected fatigue recovery as a purpose for supplement use in the year before the 2012 London Olympics.
- 66.3% of Irish supplement users cited avoiding nutrient deficiency as a reason for use during the study survey period.
- Norwegian supplement users reported 2.36 products per form in 2017, declining to 2.08 in 2019.
- 63% of supplement-associated anti-doping rule violations in a cited Norwegian testing-program analysis came from ball and team sports.
Contents
- How common athlete supplement use is
- Use by sport, competition level and sex
- Protein, amino-acid and creatine statistics
- Vitamin, mineral and medical supplement data
- Frequency, stacking and reasons for use
- Trends, product categories and safety-related measurements
How Common Athlete Supplement Use Is
The reported prevalence range is wide because the populations and definitions differ. A review summarized in the Norwegian doping-control study found reported athlete prevalence of 40% to 70% across studies from 2003–2017, while a later review found 10% to 100% across studies from 2017–2022; neither range is a universal estimate.
The main population-level observations are:
- The Norwegian Anti-Doping Organization study recorded supplement information on 51% of 10,418 doping-control forms from 2015–2019. This measures declarations recorded during testing, not necessarily complete habitual use. Trends in dietary supplement use among athletes selected for doping controls
- In Spain, 64% of 337 of 527 high-performance athletes reported dietary supplement use during the study survey period. The questionnaire sample and definition may not generalize to all athletes. Prevalence and patterns of dietary supplement use in elite Spanish athletes
- In Ireland, 62.3% of 138 collegiate student athletes reported using supplements during the study survey period. This was a single, self-reported collegiate sample. Nutrition knowledge, supplementation practices and access to nutrition supports of collegiate student athletes in Ireland
- A separate collegiate third-party-testing study reported 91% of 372 student athletes using at least one nutritional supplement, including sports foods. Its broader definition is not directly comparable with narrower studies. Nutrition knowledge, supplementation practices and access to nutrition supports of collegiate student athletes in Ireland
- Among 552 Japanese elite Olympic athletes, 81.9% used at least one supplement in the preceding year before the 2012 London Olympics. Pharmacist interviews of Olympic candidates do not provide a general athlete estimate. Use of supplements by Japanese elite athletes for the 2012 Olympic Games in London
Historical Canadian Olympic results show why periods should remain visible:
| Population and period | Reported supplement use |
|---|---|
| Canadian Olympic athletes, Atlanta 1996 | 69% |
| Canadian Olympic athletes, Sydney 2000 | 74% |
These two Games are interview samples, not a continuous trend. The use of dietary supplements and medications by Canadian athletes at the Atlanta and Sydney Olympic Games
Athlete Supplement Use Statistics by Sport, Level and Sex
The Norwegian 2015–2019 doping-control forms show differences across sex, competition level and sport classification, but each percentage describes forms in a testing population.
| Norwegian category, 2015–2019 | Forms with supplement information |
|---|---|
| Female athletes | 57% |
| Male athletes | 49% |
| National-level athletes | 53% |
| Regional-level athletes | 47% |
| Male national-level athletes | 50% |
| Male regional-level athletes | 47% |
| Female national-level athletes | 61% |
| Female regional-level athletes | 50% |
The national/regional categories are study-specific, and the sex-by-level figures are not randomized comparisons. Trends in dietary supplement use among athletes selected for doping controls
Sport categories also differed:
- Strength-and-power sports recorded supplement information on 71.2% of forms, compared with 56.3% for VO2max endurance sports and 39.3% for ball and team sports.
- Powerlifting recorded 78.9% of forms, while weightlifting recorded 68.3%.
- Football recorded 36.6% and volleyball 31.2% of forms.
Only disciplines with at least 100 forms were compared in the sport-specific table, and form reporting is not the same as prevalence in every athlete in a sport. Trends in dietary supplement use among athletes selected for doping controls
Canadian Olympic vitamin use also varied by sex and period: vitamin use was 59% among men and 66% among women at Atlanta 1996, compared with 65% among men and 58% among women at Sydney 2000. The use of dietary supplements and medications by Canadian athletes at the Atlanta and Sydney Olympic Games
Protein, Amino-Acid and Creatine Supplement Statistics
Protein and performance-oriented products appear frequently, but the denominators differ between studies. Some values refer to all athletes, while others refer only to supplement users.
| Product | Population and period | Reported use |
|---|---|---|
| Protein supplements | Spanish high-performance athletes, survey period reported in study | 41% |
| Amino-acid/BCAA supplements | Spanish high-performance athletes, survey period reported in study | 37% |
| Protein powders | Irish supplement-using collegiate athletes, survey period reported in study | 77.9% (67 users) |
| Creatine | Irish supplement-using collegiate athletes, survey period reported in study | 37.2% (32 users) |
| Protein shakes | Collegiate student athletes, study survey period | 65% (267 athletes) |
| Creatine | Collegiate student athletes, study survey period | 22% (91 athletes) |
The Irish powder and creatine percentages use supplement users as the denominator, while the third-party-testing study values use collegiate athletes and include sports foods under a broad nutritional-supplement definition. Prevalence and patterns of dietary supplement use in elite Spanish athletes; Nutrition knowledge, supplementation practices and access to nutrition supports of collegiate student athletes in Ireland
Historical Olympic data provide additional category context. Creatine was the most common nutritional supplement among Canadian Olympic athletes at Atlanta 1996, used by 14%, while amino acids were most common at Sydney 2000, used by 15%; among Japanese Olympic athletes, amino-acid products were used by 56.2% in the year before London 2012. The use of dietary supplements and medications by Canadian athletes at the Atlanta and Sydney Olympic Games; Use of supplements by Japanese elite athletes for the 2012 Olympic Games in London
Vitamin, Mineral and Medical Supplement Use Data
Vitamin and medical categories can represent a substantial part of athlete supplement reporting. The study denominators matter especially when a value is restricted to people who already reported supplement use.
- Among Irish supplement-using collegiate athletes, vitamin D and multivitamins were each used by 47.7% (41 users), while vitamin C was used by 24.4% (21 users). Nutrition knowledge, supplementation practices and access to nutrition supports of collegiate student athletes in Ireland
- Fish oil or omega-3 appeared on 18% of all Norwegian doping-control forms from 2015–2019, and multivitamins appeared on 14%. A product recorded on a form is not necessarily habitual use. Trends in dietary supplement use among athletes selected for doping controls
- Among Norwegian supplement-reporting athletes, at least one medical supplement was used by 86% of females and 70% of males. These denominators are supplement-reporting athletes, not all female or male athletes. Trends in dietary supplement use among athletes selected for doping controls
Canadian Olympic mineral-supplement use changed between the two measured Games: 16% of Canadian men and 45% of Canadian women at Atlanta 1996, versus 30% of men and 21% of women at Sydney 2000. These are historical, interview-based estimates among Canadian Olympic participants. The use of dietary supplements and medications by Canadian athletes at the Atlanta and Sydney Olympic Games
Frequency, Stacking and Reasons for Athlete Supplement Use
Use is often layered rather than limited to one product. Japanese Olympic interviews counted 952 different supplement products, averaging 1.7 products per athlete with a standard deviation of 1.4, and 49.4% of reported products were taken daily; at the athlete level, 43.7% took at least one supplement daily.
Irish collegiate data similarly show stacking:
- 64.0% of Irish supplement users reported using three or more supplements, while 8.1% reported using nine or more.
- The collegiate third-party-testing study reported a median of 8 supplements, with an interquartile range of 4 to 12; its definition included sports foods.
These product counts are not interchangeable because one is based on Irish supplement users, one on a broader collegiate study and one on Japanese product reporting. Use of supplements by Japanese elite athletes for the 2012 Olympic Games in London; Nutrition knowledge, supplementation practices and access to nutrition supports of collegiate student athletes in Ireland
Reported reasons emphasize recovery, performance and perceived nutritional coverage:
- Fatigue recovery was selected by 59.2% of Japanese Olympic athletes (327 athletes) in the year before London 2012.
- Avoiding nutrient deficiency was selected by 66.3% of Irish supplement users (57 users), improving sports performance by 62.8% (54 users), and enhancing recovery by 61.6% (53 users).
- Meeting increased nutrient requirements was selected by 37.2% of Irish supplement users (32 users).
Multiple purposes could be selected, so these percentages should not be added together. Use of supplements by Japanese elite athletes for the 2012 Olympic Games in London; Nutrition knowledge, supplementation practices and access to nutrition supports of collegiate student athletes in Ireland
Athlete Supplement Trends, Product Categories and Safety Measurements
The Norwegian form-level series shows a modest decline in the number of products recorded per supplement-reporting form: 2.36 in 2017, 2.30 in 2018 and 2.08 in 2019. The study reports a significant decline, but this form-level series does not establish a cause.
Other Norwegian category measurements clarify what was recorded:
| Category, 2015–2019 | Female forms | Male forms |
|---|---|---|
| Medical supplements | 49% | 34% |
| Sports products | 11% | 15% |
| Ergogenic substances | 12% | 13% |
Categories can overlap and are not mutually exclusive. Pre-workout supplements appeared on 3% of all forms, while mixed products appeared on 4.7%; mixed-product prevalence ranged from 0% to 27% among disciplines with at least 100 forms, including 26.7% in powerlifting and 14.7% in American football. Trends in dietary supplement use among athletes selected for doping controls
Safety-related violation data require especially careful interpretation. In the Norwegian testing-program analysis cited by the study, 63% of supplement-associated anti-doping rule violations came from ball and team sports and 15% from strength-and-power sports; these are distributions of violations, not risk per supplement user or causal incidence.
Taken together, the evidence supports a broad reading of athlete supplement use: prevalence depends on the population and definition, product portfolios can overlap substantially, and testing-form declarations or violation distributions should not be converted into universal use rates or individual risk estimates. Trends in dietary supplement use among athletes selected for doping controls