Dietary Supplements and Ergogenic Aids in Sports

Prof, Aradhana is a distinguished professional with a passion to contribute towards developing best science-based practices in Indian sports. Her mission is to promote ethical and safe wellbeing practices that support the athletes to reach their optimum performance level. Aradhana is the first sports nutritionist in India to be selected by Indian Olympic Association as the chief nutritionist for Indian contingent. She worked with Indian contingent for Paris Olympic 2024. She has been working with many Indian Olympians and Paralympians for last four Olympic cycles, right from London 2012 to Paris 2024.

As a practitioner and an educator Aradhana has a rich experience of more than 25 years, working in sports and wellness industry. She has worked with more than 4500 athletes and coaches across 30 sports disciplines. Her clients include many elite athletes who represented India at the top sporting events like Olympics, Asian games, and Commonwealth games. She is highly sought after speaker and resource person for various conferences and seminars. As a practitioner she has worked with many elite organisations in India and the USA such as Army Sports Institute (Mission Olympic Wing), Tata Sports, Directorate of Sports MP, Gopichand Mytrah Project, Central Reserve Police Force, and YMCA of USA. As an educator she has been working as adjunct faculty with Department of Exercise and Sports Science Manipal University Karnataka, visiting faculty and course committee member (sports nutrition)with NSNIS Patiala, and associate faculty with School of Sports Studies, TransStadia University Ahmedabad and Mumbai. She has previously worked as an associate faculty for MD Sports Medicine program offered by Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune.

Aradhana is founder of Nutrigetic Wellness LLP, a consulting firm for fitness and sports wellbeing, and also a founding member of Sports Entrepreneurs Foundation (SEF) India. Aradhana is also a senior member of Sports Nutrition Taskforce of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Aradhana holds double post graduate degrees, an MBA in sports management and MSc in Nutrition and Food Science. She has a post graduate diploma in Yoga. She holds certificates in sports nutrition, professional coaching, and exercise & weight management from USA. She is a master trainer of Olympic Value Education Program in India and also holds IOC certificate in Mental Health in Elite Sports.

Prof. Prasanna Choudhari has 15 years of experience in sports science and nutrition, Prasanna Choudhari is an engineer who has made significant contributions alongside his wife, Asmita Choudhari, a professional nutritionist. He has represented India at several prestigious platforms, including the UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sports (2024-25) in New Delhi, and participated in the special session on "Raising awareness about Nutrition and Drug-Free Supplement Policy" at the Sixth Annual General Meeting in 2024. Prasanna is actively collaborating with organizations such as NADA, FSSAI, and the Olympic Task Force to develop a Dope-Free Supplements policy for India.

In addition to his policy work, Prasanna holds leadership roles including President of the Wheelchair Basketball Association, Maharashtra, and Director of the Integrated Sports Science Research Association. He is also a member of the International Society of Sports Nutrition and serves on the sports science committees of the Indian Wheelchair Basketball Association and the International Rollball Federation. His leadership emphasizes his commitment to advancing sports science and promoting inclusive sports for athletes with disabilities.

Prasanna is a regular speaker at key sports science conferences. Notably, he represented SportsCom at the NADA conference on "Doping Control in Nutrition Supplements: An Indian Perspective" during the Road to Paris 2024 conference. He has also contributed to events such as the National Webinar on Doping Control in Sports, the Global Soccer E-Conclave, and the Jaipur Health Festival. His expertise has made him a sought-after advisor, contributing to discussions on doping prevention, sports nutrition, and ergogenic aids at renowned events organized by bodies like the Army Institute of Physical Training and the Sports Authority of India.

Prasanna's work continues to set new standards in sports science, ensuring ethical, clean, and inclusive practices in sports nutrition and athlete support across India.

Prof. (Dr) S Chandrasekaraguru Wing Commander is a commissioned medical officer in the Indian Air Force. He is a graduate of AV Medical College, Pondicherry. After his compulsory Internship at Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore, he joined the Armed Forces Medical Services in 2009. 

Over the last 16 years in the Armed Forces, he has managed and treated various training and sports-related injuries in combatants. He is an adventure enthusiast and has done Basic Para Jumping from 4000 feet above mean sea level off a Mi-17 helicopter and also completed the Basic Mountaineering course with ‘Alpha’ grading from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi. He completed his MD post-graduation in Sports Medicine from the prestigious Armed Forces Medical College, Pune.  He was bestowed with the AFMC Gold Medal for securing ‘First in the MD examinations’ in 2019. He has been part of the Medical team of the ‘Khelo Indian School Games’ held in New Delhi and Pune. Presently, he is a postgraduate teaching faculty member as an Associate Professor in the Department of Sports Medicine at AFMC, Pune. 

He has also been actively involved in teaching and as a co-faculty in creating various sports sciences courses in the NPTEL platform under the Centre of Excellence for Sports Sciences & Analytics, IIT Chennai. Being an avid researcher and scientific collaborator, he has co-authored close to 16 published research articles in various national and international sports medicine/ science journals, including a chapter on 'Heart rate monitoring in Sports Performance' in the book - Sports Sciences in India, published by Taylor & Francis publishers Ltd. His recent publication on Can we predict archery performance using shooting heart rate and other biophysical parameters? A machine learning approach has been published in a Scopus-indexed journal, ‘Acta Gymnica’, in Aug 2025. He has also been a scientific reviewer of about 25 articles for various International and National Journals to date, contributing actively to sports science research. 

His field of interest includes sports performance enhancement, sports injury prevention and management, physical activity in special populations, including pilots, doctors, military combatants, geriatrics and technology in sports sciences. Behaviour approaches to anti-doping, exercise adherence, and patient empathy among health care practitioners are also his fields of interest. 

Dr. Vani Bhushanam Golla is a distinguished professional in sports nutrition with over 25 years of experience in research, teaching, policy, and applied practice. She holds a Ph.D. in Sports Nutrition, an M.Sc. in Foods & Nutrition, and a prestigious two-year Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Nutrition from the International Olympic Committee.

Her career spans diverse academic, research, and leadership roles. She has served as Faculty and Head at the State Training Institute, Department of Women Development and Child Welfare, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh; Consultant (State Head – Nutrition) for a World Bank Project; and Junior Scientific Officer (Sports Nutrition) at the Sports Authority of India (SAI). She is currently a Scientific Officer at SAI’s Department of Sports Nutrition, Core Faculty at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NS NIS), Patiala, and an Associate Editor/Reviewer for PubMed-indexed journals, including Cureus.

Dr. Golla has provided specialised nutrition support to athletes across all levels—grassroots, developmental, elite, Olympians, Paralympians, Olympic medallists, and world record holders. She has been part of India’s preparations for multiple Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Paralympics, and Olympics since 2014, and has evaluated the nutritional profiles of more than 2,500 elite athletes across disciplines.

Her contributions extend to policy and institutional development through roles in the FSSAI Working Group on Sports Supplements, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ Core Committee on Sports Sciences, and in the formulation of supplement policy for senior elite athletes. At SAI, she has been instrumental in developing guidelines, SOPs, and standardised protocols for nutrition services.

Alongside, she contributes to academia through teaching, curriculum development, postgraduate supervision, and service on Boards of Studies in numerous Universities. Her scholarly output includes peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and conference presentations, complemented by educational resources in English and regional languages.

Dr. Golla’s career reflects a sustained commitment to advancing sports nutrition through science, policy, and education

Dr. Vibha Acharya is a renowned sports nutritionist and scientist with over a decade of expertise in high-performance sports nutrition, research, academics and athlete consultation. She is currently the Lead Sports Nutrition- HPC, Tata Steel Foundation, where she works with elite high performance programs including Jamshedpur Football Club, Tata Archery Academy, Tata Football Academy, Naval Tata Hockey Academy, and Tata Steel Adventure Foundation.

Dr. Vibha holds a Ph.D. in Nutrition Science, certification in Sports Nutrition from the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, and ISAK Level-1 accreditation. She combines academic expertise with practical experience, delivering evidence-based nutrition strategies to optimize athlete performance.

Previously, Dr. Vibha served as High Performance Analyst at the National Centre of Excellence, Sports Authority of India, Bhopal, supporting Khelo India Judo and Athletics academies. Her extensive experience spans public health and clinical research projects under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), enriching her understanding of research and its practical applications. She has also authored scientific papers and presented her work at national and international platforms. She is also awardee of three prestigious fellowships by UGC, ICMR and ICAR.

In addition to her professional roles, Dr. Vibha serves as a visiting faculty member at NSNIS, Patiala, teaching sports nutrition courses for diploma and postgraduate diploma programs. She is also a member of NCS-Sports Nutrition Taskforce of Confederation of Indian Industry.

Dr. Vibha’s vision is to, advance the field of sports nutrition, elevate the level of athlete care and contributing to India’s sporting success. Her work emphasizes Nutrition Periodization, Nutritional concerns of female athletes & Active Minors. She is deeply committed to bridging the gap between research and practice, designing functional, evidence-based dietary strategies tailored to the unique needs of Indian athletes.