A new review suggests that as there is no strong evidence that nutritional supplements and sports drinks are good for health, their manufacturers should not sponsor sport.

The report published in the Journal of Medical Ethics suggests that one of the main problems is that the efficacy of commonly sold nutritional supplements and sports drinks “has little or no scientific backing.”

Despite this, many manufacturers of these products sponsor sports, sporting events and professional athletes, which implies the products are good for general health and athletic performance.

They also note that sports drinks, just like soft drinks, can be high in calories and as such excess consumption can increase the risk of overweight and obesity.

They do point out however that “Supplements and sports drinks are not unhealthy products in the same way as alcohol, sugary drinks and fast foods may popularly be considered ‘unhealthy, several concerns have been raised about the risk of accidental doping, the efficacy of products and their respective health risks.”

Source: Journal of Medical Ethics