Evaluating Dietary Supplements for Athlete Health, Safety, and Performance: Evidence-Based Tools and Strategies for Athletic Trainers
Abstract:
Despite frequent questions from athletes, many athletic trainers (ATs) report uncertainty when navigating dietary supplement safety, efficacy, and legality. Poor supplement regulation, risk of contamination, and evolving anti-doping rules increase the complexity of this role. This session addresses the urgent need for evidence-based tools and clinical decision-making strategies to help ATs evaluate supplements and guide athletes. Presenters will deliver practical approaches aligned with current regulations, third-party testing, and interdisciplinary collaboration—empowering ATs to reduce risk, support performance, and know when to refer to a sports dietitian.
Learning Objectives:
- Evaluate the safety, efficacy, and legality of dietary supplements using evidence-based frameworks and resources.
- Identify supplement-related health and eligibility risks, including contamination, mislabeling, and banned substances.
- Apply a structured supplement screening process during pre-participation exams and athlete consultations.
- Differentiate between high-risk and lower-risk supplements using third-party testing and regulatory tools.
- Consider effective collaboration with sports dietitians and other professionals to support safe and strategic supplement use.
Level:
Essential
Domain(s):
Domain 1: Risk Reduction Wellness and Health Literacy
Domain 2: Assessment Evaluation and Diagnosis
Domain 4: Therapeutic Intervention
Domain 5: Health Care Administration and Professional Responsibility
Orthopedic Domain(s):
Domain 3: Professional Practice
Keywords:
anti-doping; third-party certification; sports nutrition
CEUs:
1.0 Category A
A Statement of Credit reflecting your CEUs will be issued immediately upon the successful completion of all course components.
Course Expiration:
All sessions of the NATA 77th Symposia On-Demand must be completed by December 31, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CST.
For full details, refer to the expiration policy on our FAQ page.
Katie Knappenberger, MS, RD, CSSD, ATC
"Katie Knappenberger is the Program Director of Performance Nutrition at Northwestern Medicine and Northwestern University Athletics, a role she has held since her hire in June 2014. As Northwestern’s first full-time sports dietitian, Katie has led the strategic development and expansion of performance nutrition services from the ground up. Her responsibilities include program design and oversight, budget and fueling station development, policy creation, staff leadership, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the delivery of evidence-based nutrition care to student-athletes within a fully integrated medical model. Under her leadership, the performance nutrition team has grown from a single provider to a multidisciplinary staff supporting comprehensive athlete health and performance initiatives.
Katie earned her Master of Science in Nutrition and Sports Dietetics from the University of Utah and her Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. Prior to joining Northwestern, she served as an Assistant Professor and Certified Athletic Trainer at Daytona State College, where she earned tenure while teaching general and sports nutrition courses and providing athletic training services to collegiate basketball programs. She has also held academic and guest lecturer roles at the University of Utah, delivering both university-level instruction and community education.
A nationally recognized leader in sports dietetics, Katie has been deeply involved with the American Sports and Performance Dietitians Association (ASPDA) through board leadership, advocacy, education, and research initiatives. She served as President of the organization from May 2023 - May 2026. Her professional contributions include serving in multiple national leadership roles (including serving as ASPDA's Liaison to the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA)), leading webinars and conference sessions, and serving as the lead author on the NATA's Position Statement on The Evaluation of Dietary Supplements for Athlete Safety and Performance.
Katie is a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, a Registered Dietitian, and a Board Certified Athletic Trainer. She is based in Glenview, Illinois, and outside of work enjoys F45 training, hosting friends for special events, watching her 2 daughters in their numerous activities, and adventuring with her husband, Ryan. "
Floris Wardenaar, PhD
Floris C. Wardenaar, PhD, FACSM, is an Associate Professor at the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University (ASU). Before coming to ASU in 2017 he worked for the Dutch Olympic Committee as a sports dietitian during five Olympic Games from 2008-2016, of which as team lead of the nutrition team during the last 3 years in preparation for the Rio de Janeiro games in Brazil. During this period, he also obtained his PhD at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
Aside from investigating hydration self-assessment in active populations and validating simple and practical methods, that sports health professionals and their athletes can use, his current research focuses on nutritional supplement behavior in athletes, as well as getting a better understanding of gastrointestinal complaints in active populations. Over the last few years, his research has covered the assessment of athletes' dietary intake, athlete sports nutrition knowledge, and the prevalence of GI complaints in athletic populations. He has a keen interest in using simple sensors and measurements as part of field testing.
Dr. Wardenaar is an active member of ACSM, APSDA, the Dutch Association for Sports Dietetics, the Dutch Dietetic Association, and he currently serves as Vice-President of PINES, a global organization for Professionals in Nutrition for Exercise and Sport.
