SCHOLARLY REVIEWS International Journal of Sport Nutrition, 1994, 4, 320-334 0 1994 Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc. Vitamin/Mineral Supplement Use Among Athletes: A Review of the Literature Jeffery Sobal and Leonard F. Marquati Vitamintmineral supplements are often used by athletes as ergogenic aids to improve performance. This paper reviews studies of the prevalence, pat- terns, and explanations for vitamintmineral supplement use among athletes. Fifty-one studies provided quantitative prevalence data on 10,274 male and female athletes at several levels of athletic participation in over 15 sports. The overall mean prevalence of athletes' supplement use was 46%. Most studies reported that over half of the athletes used supplements (range 6% to loo%), and the larger investigations found lower prevalence levels. Elite athletes used supplements more than college or high school athletes. Women used supplements more often than men. Varying patterns existed by sport. Athletes appear to use supplements more than the general population, and some take high doses that may lead to nutritional problems. Sport nutritionists should include a vitaminlmineral supplement history as part of their dietary assessment so they can educate athletes about vitamintmineral supplements and athletic performance. Key Words: nutrition, sports, diet, ergogenic aids Vitamin/mineral supplements are often used by athletes as ergogenic aids to improve performance. Considerable physiological work has been done on the need for and effects of supplement use in athletes (33,36,56,63,78). By contrast, less attention has been given to the prevalence, patterns, and explanations for athletes' supplement consumption behavior. In this paper we will review and integrate the literature on athletes' supplement use by quantitatively analyzing studies on the prevalence and patterns of athletes' supplement use, examining research that offers explanations for their supplement use, and discussing applica- tions of this information. Studies of the Prevalence of Supplement Use Studies of the prevalence of vitamin/mineral supplement consumption by athletes published as papers, chapters, and books were compiled using computerized bibliographic searches, our files and those of colleagues, and references in the J. Sobal is with the Division of Nutritional Sciences, Come11 University, Ithaca, NY 14853. L.F. Marquart is with the Nutrition Department, General Mills Inc., One General Mills Blvd., Minneapolis, MN 55426.