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Dunamis Nutrition International (dN[i]) is a South African based
company and was registered April 2002. We
specialise in the
the
study and application
of nutrition in the sports arena. The
company is headed up by Dr Jacques Rossouw.
During the last
century there have been unprecedented changes in life-style and
patterns of health for humanity. Improved availability of wide
varieties of food and less physical effort required for daily
activities is prominent features of industrialised societies and
of affluent groups in developing countries. In many affluent
societies, food choices are wide and physical activity is minimal,
which may lead to poor nutrition because of inadequate or
incorrect food choices. Poor physical fitness results from a
diminished need to be physically active.1
The interrelationship between nutrition and fitness is clear. In
480 BC, Hippocrates recognized the importance of the balance
between food intake that provided fuel to the body (energy intake)
and physical activity (energy expenditure) for health. He noted
"death occurs earlier in the obese" and developed the following
concept of "positive health":
Positive health requires knowledge of man's primary
constitution [which today we call genetics] and of the powers of
various foods, both those natural to them and those resulting from
human skill (today's processed foods]. But eating alone is not
enough for health. There must also be exercise, of which the
effects must likewise be known. The combination of these two
things makes regimen, when proper attention is given to the season
of the year, the changes of the winds, the age of the individual
and the situation of his home. If there is any deficiency in food
or exercise the body will fall sick.*
Good nutrition and
regular physical exercise promote feelings of well-being and
improve performance in all daily activities. However, because
there is a dearth of training of health professionals in nutrition
and physical education and a dereliction by them of responsibility
for promoting this fundamental basis for good health, the public
is bombarded by fads and conflicting pseudo-facts conceived by
self-styled authorities. Information and education for the public
is not provided in a reliable way. The opportunity for improved
well-being through diet and physical activity is lost because the
message has not been effectively delivered.*
South Africa is a country rich in raw materials, not necessarily
limited to gold and diamonds, but also includes the incredible
wealth of sporting talent that resides within these shores, in
particular, boxers and distance runners. While South Africa's
boxers continue to accumulate World Championship titles, South
Africa's middle and long distance runners have also shown their
tremendous potential and, with the correct guidance and support
base, can develop into world-beaters. On the 4th August 1996,
Josiah Thugwane defeated one of the finest marathon fields ever
assembled to win the Gold Medal in the Marathon at the Olympic
Games in Atlanta. In September 1998, South Africa toppled the
mighty Kenyans at the World Half Marathon Championships in Zurich.
With more and more
young South Africans taking to the track and
road, there is no doubt that more records are going to be smashed.
Banned substances
Athletes can be selected for a drug test at any time, anywhere.
Failure to comply with the request to provide a sample without
reasonable cause can result in a sanction from the relevant sports
federation equivalent to that imposed for a positive test result.
Herbal preparations and health products are not subject to
stringent regulatory and licensing requirements, nor is their sale
controlled by a specific organization. It is very difficult to
determine whether all their constituents have been listed on the
packaging, or whether their composition may vary without notice.
Athletes and their coaches are advised that nutritional
supplements, herbal preparations and health products may contain,
or be contaminated with, substances that are banned, or that may
be converted in the body into banned substances. The use or
consumption of such products may result in a positive doping
control test. The effectiveness of many of these products is
questionable and their labeling may be incomplete or inaccurate.
As long as there is no control over the production and sale of
these products, and as long as their purity cannot be guaranteed,
they are taken at the athletes own risk (The South African
Institute for Drug-Free Sport).
* References
Declaration of Olympia on nutrition and fitness. 1992. Journal
of the American Dietetic Association, vol 92 (10); 1282-1283.
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