Supplements Cause Failed Drug Tests? Natural Products Association Response
January 8, 2009
If you’ve been watching the news, no doubt you’ve seen the blame that athletes have given to supplements for failing their drug tests. If not, check out this news story by clicking HERE or another one that has kept “The Chemist” Patrick Arnold busy lately (click “6-OXO” to read it). But in response to negative statements made in the press regarding dietary supplement regulation, the Natural Products Association released this statement:
“Increased scrutiny by professional sports leagues on steroid usage, which the Natural Products Association (NPA) commends, has unfortunately also led to increased and unsubstantiated allegations that a “tainted” or mislabeled dietary supplement is to blame when an athlete tests positive for a banned substance.
As the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) mandates, all ingredients must be listed on product labels and product claims must be substantiated. If this is not the case, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — along with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) — have the authority under DSHEA to act promptly. These federal enforcement powers include, but are not limited to, removing any dietary supplements deemed adulterated from the marketplace and imposing substantial penalties on those who violate the law. Additional regulations authorized by DSHEA require that makers of dietary supplements have manufacturing practices in place that ensure their products meet high standards for quality and purity.
Finally, it is important to remember that substances that are banned by various sports leagues as performance enhancers are not necessarily dangerous or illegal and include caffeine, commonly used over-the-counter cold remedies and prescription medications. Athletes have the right and responsibility to avoid their use. However, the consuming public who benefits from legitimate medications or dietary supplements — as well as a trip to the local coffee house — should not be denied their use if an athlete is unwilling or unable to follow the rules established by their sport.”
What Is The Natural Products Association?
The Natural Products Association, founded in 1936 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the largest and oldest non-profit U.S. trade organization dedicated to the natural products industry. Currently, the association represents more than 10,000 retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of dietary supplements, food and health and beauty aids.
SOURCE: PR Newswire
StarCaps Cause Failed Drug Tests?
October 28, 2008
A diet pill you may not be familiar with but sells like crazy is called “StarCaps ” and it’s billed as the diet supplement for the stars. Owned by Hollywood star Nikki Haskell the supplement can be purchased via the Internet or many of the health-food stores in the U.S., and the capsules are sold in bottles in quantities of 30 for about $100. Last year, I saw the product sold for $200 at one large retail chain!
According to its Web site, StarCaps is “an all natural supplement ,” which has “been prepared in Peru, using an exclusive drying process to help preserve the enzyme, activity of papaya, grown in the Peruvian Amazon, and the dietary integrity of fresh garlic, grown in the rich and fertile mountains of Arequipa, Peru. Papaya and Garlic have been
used in their raw forms since the time of the ancient Greeks, Romans and Incas.”
There is no mention of the diuretic Bumetanide (pictured on right), a drug banned by the NFL which Saints players Deuce McAllister, Will Smith and Charles Grant reportedly tested positive for by taking this supplement. In late 2007, a group of scientists at the University of Utah did a study on StarCaps. In its research, the scientists gave a StarCaps capsule to male and female volunteers. Urine samples were then analyzed and Bumetanide was detected in each person! To read more on why various supplements have been linked to failed drug tests, click HERE.
SOURCE: The Times-Picayune
NFL Player Sues Supplement Maker For Failing Drug Test
August 11, 2008
According to website NutriSupLaw, former San Diego State and NFL running back Obafemi “Femi” Ayanbadejo has filed suit against Nevada sports supplement company ALR Industries claiming he tested positive steroids last year because he took the supplement Max LMG which is made by ALR. The positive test result led to a four-game suspension and his release by the Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears. Ayanbadejo also alleges that the stigma of testing positive in January 2007 has helped keep him from getting back in the league.
“We’re still not sure whether we have a pure cross-contamination matter (from the mixing facility), or we have a company that actually spiked the supplement (intentionally),” said Ayanbadejo’s attorney, Jim Miller. Athletes go to court because their governing sports bodies leave them little other recourse to clear their names. The NFL’s drug policy states “a positive test result will not be excused because a player was unaware that he was taking a prohibited substance. ” Athletes are held strictly liable by leagues for what they put in their bodies, no matter if it was bought over the counter or that the product may have been tainted.