This article looks at the possible risks of sports nutrition supplements
What’s the deal?
Abstract Athlete discusses a wide range of sports nutrition supplements, from ketones, to juices and antioxidants, to caffeine. Unfortunately, most supplements are not tested or even regulated by organisations such as the FDA. With this in mind, can we trust what is written on the label and is there a risk for accidental doping?
What did they do?
Combinations of the words “nutritional”, “supplements”, “online”, “buy”, and “web shop” were used to search for sports nutrition supplements online. 66 products claiming to “modulate hormones”, “stimulate muscle gain”, “increase fat loss”, or “boost energy” were purchased and underwent laboratory analysis to determine the exact ingredients.
What happened?
25 of the 66 products tested were found to contain one or more known doping substances, none of which were declared on the product information or packaging. The doping substances included 5 different types of anabolic steroids (e.g. testosterone), 9 different types of stimulants (e.g. the amphetamine oxilofrine), and even drugs commonly used to treat heart disease and asthma (bisoprolol and salbutamol).
What can you tell me about these drugs?
The undeclared substances in these supplements can cause professional athletes to fail drugs testing. One of the substances mentioned here, oxilofrine, caused Tyson Gay (the American sprinter) to fail a drugs test in 2013. More alarmingly, some of the undeclared drugs found in these supplements are in such high quantities that they exceed the maximum recommended prescription doses and could pose serious health risks.
What else should I know?
Some of the undeclared substances in these supplements could be due to simple contamination during manufacture, but some are due to “spiking”. Spiking is when a company deliberately puts performance enhancing drugs (which are often illicit) into their products without declaring them. This deceitful practice has a total disregard for consumer health, but makes the product more effective, leading to positive reviews and increased sales. This study was conducted using products available on the Dutch market, however it is highly likely that these products are widely available across Europe and the Americas.
What will I do differently?
Despite writing about various sports nutrition supplements, I have never taken any. I’m even sceptical about taking multivitamins, as there is no way to be sure of the ingredients. This article doesn’t fill me with much confidence in the supplement industry, so I don’t plan to take any sports nutrition supplements in the near future.
Acknowledgements
This research was published in March 2021 by E Duiven and colleagues from Doping Authority Netherlands and Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
This article highlights our personal take on their research, but there is so much more information available! Check it out here and see what you think!
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