(20-10-11) Warning for athletes: Some dietary supplements may contain trace amounts of banned substances

by Michelle Bosmier

(NaturalNews) Athletes should be cautious about the dietary supplements they
take, as these may contain small amounts of banned substances, according to a
recent study conducted by Loughborough University Professor of Sport and
Exercise Nutrition, Ron Maughan.

Having repeatedly warned about the possibility of a link between failed doping
tests and sports supplements, Dr. Maughan believes that these commercially
available substances can turn honest athletes into unknowing cheats. "It is now
well established that many dietary supplements contain compounds that can cause
an athlete to fail a doping test. In some cases the presence of these compounds
is not declared on the product label," the professor explained. The extent to
which minute amounts of substances that are forbidden in the sports world
should be relayed on the product package is still under debate. Some voices
believe that trace amounts are not relevant enough to be mentioned, and, most
of the time, they do not turn up on regular supplement analyses.

However, Professor Maughan is worried about the presence in everyday
supplements of some steroid compounds normally banned by the World Anti-Doping
Agency (WADA). Such a steroid is nandrolone, and Dr. Maughan put together a
team to investigate the body's responses to trace amounts of a nandrolone
precursor (19-norandrostenedione). The test subjects involved were given water
and protein bars that had been contaminated with 19-norandrostenedione at a
concentration level 1000 times lower than what is normally tested for during
the manufacturing process of supplements.

Surprisingly, even at this apparently insignificant concentration, the tested
athletes still registered a positive result in common doping tests. This means
that the sports dietary supplement industry's standards are much less strict
than the health standards of the sports community. This incongruity can only
have a negative impact on individual athletes who had regularly used
supplements until this day.

Raw whole plant foods considered superior to supplements


In addition, various recent nutrition studies have revealed that the body
should derive all of its nutrient requirements from natural food sources. As
such, the scientific community is generally in agreement that supplements
should be avoided if possible, in favor of a healthy and balanced diet that
includes many raw vegetables and fruits.

Professor Maughan believes that his findings expose "a serious dilemma for
sports supplement manufacturers, athletes, and those responsible for the
welfare of athletes." He also added that "The potential for such low levels of
contamination in a sports supplement to result in adverse test results raises
significant concerns for the manufacture of dietary supplements intended for
consumption by athletes liable to regular doping tests."

Professor Maughan currently presides over the Sports Nutrition Group of the
International Olympic Committee Medical Commission, and has expressed further
interest in the science of anti-doping. He is presenting at two upcoming
conferences on this matter.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...

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