Dietary supplements are products that are intended to supplement deficiencies in diets deficient in vitamins, micro- and macro-ingredients and biologically active substances. More and more preparations appear on the market as a result of the lack of regulations regarding the requirements that must be met by the product before being released on the market. People are increasingly reaching for this type of product, believing in the manufacturers' assurances about their effectiveness in the fight against excessive kilograms or about increasing efficiency during training. However, supplements do not have to undergo any clinical trials and therefore it is not entirely safe to use the same preparations for all people, because an excess of some substances can be even harmful and cause various side effects. The literature review covered the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Mainly articles appeared after 2013. There are many clinical studies that directly indicate the toxic effects of some substances that are found in commonly available dietary supplements on the market. Due to ignorance, very often these preparations are confused with drugs because the labels show similar ingredients. In the case of people struggling with the problem of excess weight, the best way to get rid of obesity is exercise, a healthy diet. The diet of athletes should be adjusted to cover the needs of all micro and macro ingredients.
Conclusions: Due to the growing problem of the abuse of dietary supplements, without finding a deficiency in a given person, we should pay special attention to the preparations consumed by patients, bought without a prescription. This can lead to serious disturbances in the proper functioning of the body.
Keywords: athletes; diet; supplements; weight-loss.
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