Knowledge and experience of sports supplements and ergogenic aids, with a specific focus on caffeine, in Basketball athletes

The aim of this study was to investigate the use, basic knowledge, experience of using caffeine and sports supplements of basketball players in China and the UK.The use rate of sports supplements in general was 37%, and for caffeine it was 25%. The main reasons for athletes to choose sports supplements are to improve performance (35%) and recovery (32%). The main sources used by these athletes to research and find information were the internet (46%) and coaches (29%). The athlete's ability to identify caffeine-containing foods was generally good but they were not as good at categorizing or differentiating between higher and lower-caffeine content sources. Very few athletes who used caffeine reported side effects from its consumption.