Supplement quality?

cmyk

Not to drag up yet another supplement debate but spotted this youtube clip on supplement quality:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0WIYnEWCAw

In a nutshell for anyone who doesn't want to watch it....
2001: 630 nutritional supplements tested - 25% contained banned substances
2005: Over 60 supplements tested - 22% contained banned substances

Now I like to eat clean, but am supplementing diet with a whey protein. Now I'm never going to be competing in bb competitions, or going to the olympics anytime soon but like to know what I'm putting in my body.

I think this is the initiative they are discussing but not much info on the products tested etc http://www.cleansportinitiative.com but quite apart from the website being terrible, there is only one product that's certified.

drdeadlift

Your pretty safe in Ireland,the Irish medicine board have banned anything that might harm you.

rubadub

cmyk wrote: »

2001: 630 nutritional supplements tested - 25% contained banned substances
2005: Over 60 supplements tested - 22% contained banned substances

I am not 100% clear what is being said. On the first one he said they contained banned substances, on the second 22% he said they were contaminated, and he talked of some team being inadvertently being given banned substances. These do not all have to mean the same thing.

Was he saying e.g. that 25% could have had the likes of pseudoephedrine, (an OTC drug but banned in sports AFAIK) this could be the "contained" or "inadvertently". He also said "contaminated", this does sound more like it had drugs not listed on the packet.

Also from those figures if it truly was contaminated what % would have resulted in a positive test result if the supplement itself was being taken in normal amounts.

There was a post before that where the figures made no sense, they said contamination was high yet the test results were extremely low in athletes, therefore I think the figures are skewed for the sake of sensationalism.


This was the link, http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2009/0430/1224245683631.html
Out of 1,114 tested 4 were positive but NONE were due to contaminated supps. 2 were taking asthma medicine, so not even alleged contamination, the other girl refused a test, again not even alleged contamination, the other had cannabis, so again no contamination.

Roper

That's American though right? Your biggest threat is imported stuff. Just to get one thing straight though, no one is putting roids in your supps. The banned substances are harmless enough but just fail you a pee test.

cmyk

Interesting article rubadub, and yep it was Canadian. So what you're saying is that there are far more strict policies in place here?

I'd have to assume (mother of all f**ckups I realise) here that when he mentions 'contamination' on the second test he's referring to contaminated with banned substances. The point with regards to the team in question was they were taking supplements which contained the banned substances unwittingly. So my question was just how do you know what is contained in supplements here?

And what are the banned substances that fail you a pee test in question?

rubadub

cmyk wrote: »

So my question was just how do you know what is contained in supplements here?

Read the label I guess, just like food, I still get people commenting on me reading labels on food "jesus, do you know what that stuff means!?!":rolleyes:

I find it incredible that pro athletes would be taking (legal yet) banned substances, are they illiterate or what?

drdeadlift

I find it incredible that pro athletes would be taking (legal yet) banned substances, are they illiterate or what?[/QUOTE]

No their pro athletes not nutritionists,do you understand everything on the back of every label of food content.

rubadub

drdeadlift wrote: »

No their pro athletes not nutritionists,do you understand everything on the back of every label of food content.

I know a fair bit of what they mean, but if my career depended on it I definitely would understand every single thing or I would simply not take it, simple as that.

These guys obviously have heard of other athletes being caught out with the likes of cold medication before, it doesn't take a pharmacist to figure out that you should be careful, and just READ.

Hanley

Haven't read this, so someone fill me in;

What were these "banned" contaminents?

Were they listed on the ingredient list?

Were they anabolic, stimulant or something else in nature??

cmyk

I don't know, he doesn't go into details at all, it's very very vague. As drdeadlift stated I wouldn't know what half those ingredients are on my packet either. I guess the answer is to better educate myself.

It just got me thinking along those lines. That and watching programmes like 'what's in your food' the other day has brought out my paranoid side.

Hanley

cmyk wrote: »

I don't know, he doesn't go into details at all, it's very very vague. As drdeadlift stated I wouldn't know what half those ingredients are on my packet either. I guess the answer is to better educate myself.

It just got me thinking along those lines. That and watching programmes like 'what's in your food' the other day has brought out my paranoid side.

If they don't get into the details then something stupid like a formerly legally available OTC supplement like a pro-hormone might be included in the sample. And they're basically weaker steroids, so of course sh!t liek that's giving a positive.

I'd only believe it if I saw a full list of the supplements tested and what they found to be banned in them.

Seriously, think about it logically.... protein powder's and the likes are often made in the same plants as powdered milk, drinks etc etc... why don't they have contaminants in them too? And how could they even become contaminated unless the plant was like a super secret steroid lab too??