Supplements have figured prominently in a number of anti doping cases involving Jamaican athletes. Jamaican athletes are not singular in this respect as this has been a worldwide problem and will continue to be so as long as athletes find it necessary to take them. In doing so an athlete must realise that there is a risk of the supplement containing a prohibited substance in its ingredients or that it may have been contaminated in the manufacturing process. While a thorough analysis of the ingredients may reduce the risk of ingesting a prohibited substance there is no way to protect the athlete from returning a positive test due to the supplement being contaminated with a banned substance.The supplement industry is a multi billion dollar industry which is not subject to the type of regulation to which the pharmaceutical industry is subjected to by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S.A. This therefore exposes consumers such as athletes to many risks including health risks and in the case of athletes, the use of banned substances. As stated by one Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Panel “Because the risks of mislabelling and/or contamination now are generally known or least foreseeable, all athletes must exercise reasonable care to ensure a nutrition supplement does not contain a banned substance whether the WADA Code classifies it as a prohibited or specified substance (CAS 2010/A/2107 OLEVEIRA V USADA)”. The same panel also stated that an athlete assumes the risk that a nutritional supplement may be mislabelled or contaminated and is strictly liable for ingesting any banned substance.
The supplement industry is a multi billion dollar industry which is not subject to the type of regulation to which the pharmaceutical industry is subjected to by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S.A. This therefore exposes consumers such as athletes to many risks including health risks and in the case of athletes, the use of banned substances. As stated by one Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Panel “Because the risks of mislabelling and/or contamination now are generally known or least foreseeable, all athletes must exercise reasonable care to ensure a nutrition supplement does not contain a banned substance whether the WADA Code classifies it as a prohibited or specified substance (CAS 2010/A/2107 OLEVEIRA V USADA)”. The same panel also stated that an athlete assumes the risk that a nutritional supplement may be mislabelled or contaminated and is strictly liable for ingesting any banned substance.
It has been reported that the Athletics Australia has recently drafted a policy against the use of supplements by their athletes. This is probably the first athletic federation which has taken this position. They have essentially recommended that athletes should not take supplements except in a limited number or cases and only on the advice of an accredited sports medicine professional. It is therefore not a total prohibition and there is no penalty for taking them although they will not provide financial assistance to purchase them.
WADA in its 2015 Code which is due to take effect on January 1, 2015 has for the first time introduced the concept of a violation due to use of a contaminated product. Article 10.5.1.2 of the Code provides for reduced sanctions where an athlete or other person can establish that they were not at fault and were not negligent and that the prohibited substance came from a contaminated product. The notes to that rule states that if the product was declared on the Doping Control Form it would be viewed more favourably in determining the degree of fault of the athlete. A Contaminated Product is defined in the Code as a product that contains a prohibited substance that is not disclosed on the product label or in information available in a reasonable internet search.
As it seems supplements will always be with us it becomes important that our anti doping organisation, clubs, institutions and coaches give our athletes the necessary educational assistance so as to reduce the risk of anti doping violations.
Unfortunately to date there is no comprehensive anti doping education programme in Jamaica and there is need for development of a good working website which will expose our sports persons to the necessary anti doping information. We only have to look to our neighbour the United States of America to see what The United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA) has in place on its website Supplement 411 to see what can be done. This website provides a great deal of information to athletes on the dangers of supplements and alerts them to “Red Flags” when researching supplements. The website includes a tutorial to assist athletes and their support personnel and also has information of adverse reports on supplements which have been reported.
The USADA website is most informative in advising of danger signs or Red Flags when assessing a supplement. The USADA Supplement 411 website warns athletes to be beware of products that:
- Advertise themselves as muscle-building (body building, weight gainer), weight-loss, sexual enhancement, or energy “supplements”.
- Contain ingredients ending in -ol, -idol, -stene, or that contain numbers.
- Contain proprietary blends in the ingredients.
- Contain “trademarked” or “patented” ingredients or blends of ingredients.
- Claim to treat a disease (cancer, obesity, the common cold, etc).
- Advertise themselves as “newest scientific breakthrough,” “secret formula”, “money back guarantee” or “what the FDA doesn’t want you to know”.
- Claim to be safe because “they have been used for thousands of years” or are deemed “traditional”.
- Claim to be an alternative to prescription medication.
- Contain herbal ingredients.
- Make with “too good to be true” claims.
For a more detailed explanation of the Red Flags those interested can find this in an article published in “Professionals against Doping in Sports E-News December 2012 Vol. 2. Number 2 by Amy Eichner PhD and Erin Hannan both of USADA.
Many athletes feel pressured into using supplements because they hear that successful athletes use them and that they derive benefits from the use. Except in cases where the athlete suffers from some nutritional deficiency there is a debate on whether there is any great benefit. The risk is that those which will assist in improving performance will most likely contain a prohibited substance.
Unfortunately even after taking the utmost care in assessing a product including having lab tests done and even after using a product for some time without failing a test there is still that risk of a batch of the product or even a few capsules being contaminated with a banned substance.
This may be another situation where abstinence is the best policy.