The survey, conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), found that 42 percent of college athletes take supplements, some of which contain such banned substances as ephedrine.

Some student athletes admitted intentionally using ephedrine, a stimulant that can aid in weight loss. According to the survey, the biggest increase in ephedrine use was by women gymnasts, which grew from 1.1 percent in 1997 to 8.3 percent in 2001. Ephedrine use by all other college athletes also increased, from 3.5 percent in 1999 to 3.9 percent in the recent survey.

Nearly 60 percent of those using supplements purchased them from retail stores.

"In speaking with student-athletes, very often they are unaware ephedrine is a banned substance and an element in these products," said Mary Wilfert, NCAA program coordinator for health and safety. "They are not savvy enough, for the most part, to recognize that this is a risk for them, because they can go into a retail store and purchase them."

Gary Green, chairman of the NCAA's drug testing and education subcommittee, added that most positive drug results stem from substances found in nutritional supplements. "You need to educate student athletes about supplements from the time you start recruiting them," said Green. "We have had several freshmen test positive in the early weeks of their first semester on campus from the use of supplements."

The survey also found a slight increase in the use of amphetamines and anabolic steroids compared to four years ago, when the survey was last conducted.

The survey's findings, which are based on responses from more than 21,000 athletes in all three NCAA divisions, are published in the Aug. 13 NCAA News.

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