Sports nutrition continues to be a hot topic both in Congress and the news. Because the physical stress from intense exercise increases an athlete's nutrient needs and depletes electrolytes, vitamins and other supplements play a vital role for athletes. However, legal dietary supplements, which are used by more than 150 million Americans, should not be confused with illegal anabolic steroids.

Recognizing this, the Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus, in cooperation with the two leading trade associations representing the dietary supplement industry, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and the Natural Products Association (NPA), recently hosted a speaker lunch briefing, "Sports Nutrition and Dietary Supplements." This was the fifth in a series of speaker briefings since the inception of the Dietary Supplement Caucus in 2005. The speaker briefings are intended to educate Congressional staffers on important issues related to the safety and benefits of dietary supplements.

"There is a great deal of misinformation that gets circulated in the press and by athletes and this is a good opportunity to hear the facts from the experts," said John Gay, executive director and CEO, Natural Products Association.

Douglas S. Kalman, Ph.D., R.D,, a director at Miami Research Associates, spoke to nearly 70 attendees at the Dietary Supplement Caucus lunch briefing about the importance of proper nutrition for athletes and addressed concerns regarding steroids in dietary supplements. Kalman stressed that a proper diet and maintaining proper hydration were key to athletic training…