Jiaqin Cai, Tutu Wang, Shunchang Li
As modern competitive sports continue to evolve, athletes are under increasing pressure to optimize both performance and recovery. Sports supplements have therefore become widely used among athletes because of their purported benefits in enhancing athletic performance, delaying fatigue, and accelerating physiological recovery. However, misuse, excessive intake, and other inappropriate patterns of supplement use remain common in some athletes and may impair performance, compromise health, and increase the risk of anti-doping rule violations. Although existing research has largely focused on the ergogenic benefits of sports supplements, their potential health risks in athletes remain insufficiently characterized. This review summarizes the potential adverse effects of sports supplements on the endocrine, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal systems, with an emphasis on the underlying pathological mechanisms, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the evidence-based selection and responsible use of sports supplements in athletic populations.