Sport supplement use among high school rugby players in South Africa: A scoping review.

Background: The use of sport supplements has increased for all types and levels of sport, with an estimated increase of 5.8% annually. Sport supplement usage and doping among high school athletes has increased over the years to meet the demands of the sports. Objective: This scoping review identifies the trends and gaps in current literature regarding sport supplement use among high school rugby players in South Africa. Methods: A search was conducted using six electronic databases, namely Oxford Academic, Emerald Publishing, ResearchGate, SABINET, PubMed and Google Scholar. The eligibility of the articles was determined by means of a PRISMA flow diagram with the following inclusion criteria: (1) research concerning supplement use among rugby players, (2) research concerning supplement use among high school rugby players. Five articles all comprising of cross-sectional study designs were included in this scoping review. Results: The prevalence of sport supplement use among adolescent rugby players ranged from 30% to 45%. Protein supplements (31% - 79%) were the most commonly identified supplement used among adolescent rugby players with the aim to improve sport performance as the most common reason for use. The internet (74%) and magazines (72%), followed by coaches comments (28% to 30%), were given as the most common sources of information. Conclusion: The use of sport supplements is increasing among high school athletes due to the belief that these substances will provide sporting performance benefits or enhance the competitive 'edge' of these athletes. Additional education regarding the safety of supplements is necessary to lower the incidences of doping among young athletes and avoid the adverse health effects that uncontrolled supplement use can cause.

Significant differences between serum CRP levels in children in different categories of physical activity: the PLAY study.

Low-grade systemic inflammation is emerging as a component of the metabolic syndrome. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between serum C-reactive protein (CRP), physical activity and body composition in 193 black children aged 13 to 18 years from a South African township. Demographic information and anthropometric measurements were taken, and fasting blood samples were analysed for high-sensitivity serum CRP. Body fat was measured by air displacement plethysmography. There was a trend towards higher serum CRP in the boys with a higher percentage body fat. After multiple regression analyses, waist circumference in the girls was significantly associated with serum CRP. In the boys, there was an inverse correlation between percentage body fat and fitness, and between fitness and serum CRP. Significant differences were found between serum CRP in the different physical activity categories, with lower serum CRP in the girls in the higher physical activity group. Obesity should be prevented in South African children by encouraging physical activity.

Significant Differences between Serum CRP Levels in Children in Different Categories of Physical Activity : the PLAY Study : Cardiovascular Topics

Low-grade systemic inflammation is emerging as a component of the metabolic syndrome. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between serum C-reactive protein (CRP); physical activity and body composition in 193 black children aged 13 to 18 years from a South African township. Demographic information and anthropometric measurements were taken; and fasting blood samples were analysed for high-sensitivity serum CRP. Body fat was measured by air displacement plethysmography. There was a trend towards higher serum CRP in the boys with a higher percentage body fat. After multiple regression analyses; waist circumference in the girls was significantly associated with serum CRP. In the boys; there was an inverse correlation between percentage body fat and fitness; and between fitness and serum CRP. Significant differences were found between serum CRP in the different physical activity categories; with lower serum CRP in the girls in the higher physical activity group. Obesity should be prevented in South African children by encouraging physical activity