The Overlooked Fundamentals Driving Athlete Performance

At the Sports Pharmacy Summit, Pharmacy Times spoke with Jessica Beal-Stahl, PharmD, about the unique perspective pharmacists bring to athlete care by balancing performance goals with patient safety. She emphasized that foundational habits—such as sleep, nutrition, and stress management—remain underutilized despite being critical to both short- and long-term performance. She also addressed persistent misconceptions around supplements, particularly the belief that “natural” equates to safe, and warned against relying on supplements to compensate for poor foundational health. Additionally, she highlighted pharmacists’ role in supporting athlete mental health, noting their frequent interactions with patients position them to identify trends and initiate meaningful conversations.