The consumption of supplements as a player subject to anti-doping rules holds certain risks. This section provides an overview of these risks.
Supplements may contain prohibited substances that are not listed on the label. Some supplements may contain banned substances that are not listed on the label, either as an intentional ingredient or as an unintended contamination.
Over the past, it was detected that certain supplements contained banned substances, such as steroids, stimulants, and certain masking agents. Some products have even been found to contain multiple banned substances.
These supplements can be harmful to the health of the athlete and can lead to a positive doping test, which can result in sanctions, penalties, and can damage the athlete’s reputation.
Please note that dietary supplements are most commonly not regulated by public health authorities in the same way as medication are, and quality can vary widely between different manufacturers and even batches, that’s why some supplements may contain lower or higher doses of an ingredient than what is listed on the label or even contain substances not listed on the label.
To minimize the risk, it is recommended that athletes should be very careful using supplements altogether or, at least, take care when using them.
CHECK YOUR SUPPLEMENTS
If you decide to use supplements, despite the risks, you can check your supplements to ensure they do not contain any banned substances by using a number of online tools.
Here are a few examples:
Informed-Sport/Informed-Choice: These are third-party certification programs that indicate that a supplement has been tested for banned substances and is free from contamination. Supplements that carry the Informed-Sport or Informed-Choice logo have been tested by an accredited laboratory, and they’re useful as they provide a level of confidence to the athletes that the supplements they’re using are clean.
You can search for supplements here: https://sport.wetestyoutrust.com/
NSF Certified for Sport: Similar to the previous, it’s a certification program that verifies that supplements are free from banned substances and are produced in facilities that are compliant with good manufacturing practices. It also provides the athletes with a means of identifying supplements that have been tested for banned substances.
Global DRO (Drug Reference Online): This is an online database that provides athletes and support personnel with information about prohibited substances and methods, as well as therapeutic use exemptions. It also helps in checking for products that are not banned but contain prohibited substances which should be avoided as well. Note: This tool is more designed for medication, rather than supplements.
These are just a few examples of the online tools available to athletes to help them check their supplements for banned substances. It’s important to note that supplements are not strictly regulated, so even if a supplement has been certified, there is no guarantee that it will not contain banned substances.
The most important thing is to be vigilant and read the label of the product, check whether the product is certified by one of the mentioned programs, and consult with your healthcare professionals before taking any supplements. Even if the supplements are not banned, they still might interact with any medication you are taking or affect your health in other ways.
