Top 10 NCAA-Related Questions: Drug Free Sport AXIS™

Athletes and athletic administrators are likely gearing up for the beginning of the 2017-2018 academic year. To smooth the transition and boost education efforts on campus, Drug Free Sport has created new learning platforms and tools to engage student-athletes. Recently, we conducted a webinar covering the Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions we receive from affiliates of NCAA membership schools.

1. What dietary supplements are "legal" for NCAA atheltes?
2. How do I get my supplements approved by the NCAA to allow athletic programs to purchase it for their athletes?
3. Why is caffeine a banned substance? How much is safe?
4. My son/daughter wants to take ____ supplement.  What do I do?
5. How do I log in to Drug Free Sport AXIS™ to check products for banned substances?
6. What does a Risk Level 1 mean?
7. My athlete has been prescribed a medication for ADHD that is banned by the NCAA. What should I do?
8. My athlete has been prescribed a non-ADHD medication that is banned. Can s/he still compete within the NCAA?
9. What is the medical exception process for athletes with a medical marijuana card or prescription?
10. What education resources are available to me as an athlete/school?

Watch the full video to get your questions answered.

If your question was not answered, please email axis@drugfreesport.com or call us at 816-477-8655 Ext. 129.

Connect with Drug Free Sport on Social Media:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

LinkedIn

YouTube

Testosterone Boosters

Dietary supplements claiming to boost testosterone or enhance sexual performance are often explored and inquired about by athletes. However, these products come with concerns. Many of the ingredients are created in factories, making them unnatural, and lack scientific evidence regarding their safety and efficacy, even if the products are labeled as “herbal” or “all natural” (Campbell et al., 2013).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) holds dietary supplement manufacturers responsible for truth in labeling and safety of all dietary supplement products that enter the consumer market. Unfortunately, these companies may not list each product ingredient on the supplement facts panel, can make false or exaggerated claims, and/or add harmful ingredients. Due to the unregulated nature of supplements, there is little data regarding the products as a whole, including the ingredients, use of proprietary blends, and marketing claims (Willoughby, Spillane, & Schwarz, 2014).

Testosterone boosters and sexual enhancement products have a higher risk of containing harmful ingredients that are not listed on the label, compared to other supplement categories. For example, phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors are pharmaceutical medications used to treat erectile dysfunction. PDE5 inhibitors have been found in testosterone boosting and sexual enhancement supplements, but have not been listed on the product label. In 2013, researchers tested sexual performance supplements to determine if they were adulterated with PDE5 inhibitors or other undeclared ingredients. The marketing for all 54 tested supplements claimed they did not contain synthetic substances. However, 81% of the tested products contained one or more synthetic PDE5 inhibitor or similar ingredient, undisclosed to the consumer (Campbell et al., 2013).

Taking dietary supplements that “boost testosterone” have proven ineffective in reducing fat mass, as well as increasing total body or muscle mass. Instead, products making these claims come with a lot of unknowns and dangers (Willoughby et al., 2014).

Consumers are made to believe that testosterone levels and muscle mass will increase with the use of dietary supplements claiming to be testosterone boosters. Manufacturers even state that their product is scientifically proven to work. When in reality, they often contain dietary ingredients that have not been tested for efficacy or safety.

Tribulus terrestris (TT) is a popular herbal ingredient found in testosterone boosting supplements. TT is associated with claims of boosting testosterone and correcting erectile function. Physically-active men are the target market for products containing TT (Pokrywka, 2014). Similarly, TT allegedly improves plasma testosterone levels and increases skeletal muscle growth (Antonio, Uelmen, Rodriguez, & Earnest, 2000). The use of dietary supplements with TT has shown no substantiated benefits in human studies. As with most dietary ingredients, there is a lack of evidence-based information regarding the effectiveness and safety of TT use in sport (Pokrywka, 2014). The consumer should be aware that many herbal/all-natural ingredients claiming to boost testosterone levels or provide other anabolic effects have limited scientific support.

Drug Free Sport believes that food should be the first option for fueling when athletes are looking to reach performance goals. Dietary supplements are poorly regulated by the FDA, with manufacturers loosely following the FDA’s guidelines. Supplement companies market their products how they wish, often place unlabeled ingredients in the bottle, and make false claims. Appropriately-timed meals and snacks, on the other hand, have been proven to aid in weight reduction and achieving sports performance goals.

If you are thinking about taking any dietary supplement, please visit Drug Free Sport AXIS™ to learn more about your options to make an informed decision. 

References:

Antonio, J., Uelmen, J., Rodriguez, R., & Earnest, C. (2000). The effects of tribulus terrestris on body composition and exercise performance in resistance-trained males. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 10, 208-215.

Campbell, N., Clark, J.P., Stecher, V.J., Thomas, J.W., Callanan, A.C., Donnelly, B.F.,… Kaminetsky, J.C. (2013). Adulteration of purported herbal and natural sexual performance enhancement dietary supplements with synthetic phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. International Society for Sexual Medicine, 10, 1842-1849.

Pokrywka, A., Obminski, Z., Malczewska-Lenczowska, J., Fijatek, Z., Turek-Lepa, E., & Grucza, R. (2014). Insights into supplements with tribulus terrestris used by athletes. Journal of Human Kinetics, 41, 99-105.

Qureshi, A., Naughton, D.P., & Petroczi, A. (2014). A systematic review on the herbal extract tribulus terrestris and the roots of its putative aphrodisiac and performance enhancing effect. Journal of Dietary Supplements, 11(1), 64-79.

Willoughby, D.S., Spillane, M., & Schwarz, N. (2014). Heavy resistance training and supplementation with the alleged testosterone booster NMDA has on effect on body composition, muscle performance, and serum hormones associated with the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis in resistance-trained males. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 13, 192-199.

Risk Level Rating System: A Deeper Look

Contributed by Anna Filardo, MS
Education Program Manager, Drug Free Sport

Drug Free Sport AXIS™ staff review dietary supplements according to the ingredients listed on the product’s supplement facts panel, marketing claims, and related scam warnings or FDA recalls. After our research and evaluation process, a risk level is assigned as Level 1, 2, or 3. There is no Risk Level 0 because Drug Free Sport does not test dietary supplements.

Due to limitations on regulatory oversight of the dietary supplement industry, there can be no guarantees that a product does not contain banned ingredients without testing each individual item. Unfortunately, supplement companies may intentionally or unintentionally contaminate/adulterate products that end up on the market. For these reasons, the risk level rating system cannot guarantee that a product will not cause a positive drug test. For zero risk, athletes are advised to avoid dietary supplements altogether and focus on food as fuel.

Drug Free Sport AXIS serves as a helpful tool in determining supplement safety for athletes, and provides sports nutrition handouts and recipes as alternatives. For a detailed explanation of the different Risk Levels assigned through the Drug Free Sport AXIS Dietary Supplement Inquiry tool, please keep reading. 

Risk Level I:

•  The supplement facts panel does not list banned ingredients or ingredients related to a banned drug class. 
• Product webpage and/or the product label’s marketing is not related to a banned drug class. Example: testosterone is a banned substance; dietary supplements that claim to boost testosterone (and otherwise do not list banned substances) will not be assigned a Risk Level 1.
• Seen as the “safest” risk level. Remember—there is no guarantee that a dietary supplement company did not contaminate/adulterate the product, which in turn could cause a positive drug test.
• Specific to Collegiate Sports: A Risk level 1 does not indicate whether or not the product is permissible for direct distribution to athletes. Permissible items are typically determined by compliance officers on campus according to NCAA bylaws.
• Watch this webinar for more information on NCAA Permissibility of Dietary Supplements.

Risk Level II:

• Ingredients listed on the label have limited scientific evidence regarding the safety, purity, or effects on the body. The ingredient may not be specifically banned, but has a possibility to be detrimental to the athlete’s health.
• The marketing for the product makes claims related to a banned drug class. Example: a product that claims to boost testosterone (and otherwise  may not list banned substances) is a Risk Level 2.
• Specific to organizations that prohibit caffeine: Caffeine or sources of caffeine (green tea, guarana, white tea, etc.) are listed on the label. Caffeine is banned (for specific sport organizations) under the stimulants drug class when urinary concentrations exceed 15 mcg/mL.
• There is no way for us to know what amount of caffeine will cause a positive drug test due to many factors: metabolic rate, other food/drink consumed, age, gender, weight, height, etc.
• There are ingredients listed on the label related to a banned drug class. The ingredient is not strictly banned, but is similar to a banned substance. Example: raspberry ketones may share a similar chemical structure to synephrine, a strictly banned stimulant. Therefore, a product listing raspberry ketones (and no other banned substances) would be categorized as a Risk Level 2.

Risk Level III:

• Ingredients listed are strictly banned. 
• The product has been cited for contamination/adulteration issues with banned substances, or has been recalled by the FDA.

The Drug Free Sport AXIS risk level rating system is a tool to assist athletes and athletic staff to make informed decisions regarding the use of dietary supplements for sports performance. Ultimately, athletes consume dietary supplements at their own risk.

To have a dietary supplement reviewed by our team, login and submit an inquiry to Drug Free SportAXIS. 

A Case to Choose Natural Food Over Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements make up for a lack of nutrition, right? Wrong! Many health goals are met by eating whole, natural food, not by consuming dietary supplements. Athletes report many reasons for consuming dietary supplements. A popular one: “it’s hard to eat healthy; I don’t have time to cook, because my sport takes up a lot of my time.”  However, a deeper look into the food habits of athletes reflects missed meals or snacks, high fat and/or low carbohydrate intake, inadequate total calorie intake, the use of recovery shakes as meal replacements, or an emphasis on supplement intake before food.

The athlete may say:

• I'm tired all day.
• I can't maintain my weight.
• Eating healthy is expensive.
• I think I need more protein.
• I'm so hungry at night.
• I tend to eat more sweets after dinner.

A proper nutrition plan and healthy food choices can address many of the concerns commonly brought forward by athletes.

Research supports that adequate food for performance can:

• Increase energy.
• Improve performance.
• Increase speed, stamina, & endurance.
• Improve mental focus.
• Decrease recovery time.
• Improve mood & sleep.
• Reduce the risk of injury, cramping, & muscle pulls.
• Increase muscle mass.
• Decrease fat mass.

The comparisons below illustrate how whole food combinations actually provide more nutrition than dietary supplements.

Clearly, food is a better bang for your buck! The risk of contamination/adulteration in dietary supplements is eliminated, and you receive more nutritive value from food than dietary supplements. Working with a sports dietitian is highly recommended to help individualize your unique food fueling strategies to reach performance goals. Drug Free Sport AXIS™ also provides a growing "Athlete Recipe Box" with athlete-friendly recipes that require little time, taste great, and are easy to prepare.  

Troubleshooting Drug Free Sport AXIS

Drug Free Sport AXIS™ (AXIS) is everything the Resource Exchange Center/REC was, and more. Over the next year, AXIS will evolve and expand to address a wider range of topics pertinent to athlete health and wellness. However, we understand that a new name may come with some questions and confusion.  The purpose of this post is to outline some common questions and provide solutions to help you troubleshoot the new platform.

Best Practices for Logging in and Using Drug Free Sport AXIS for Dietary Supplement Inquiries:

1. Visit drugfreesport.com/axis and bookmark this webpage.
2. Login to AXIS using your designated sport organization’s password.
3. From the homepage, go to the “Dietary Supplement Inquiry” box—this is the picture of a water bottle.
4. If this is your FIRST time logging in you will need to enter all necessary information. Entries are confidential and used only to communicate our findings to a valid email address. We do not send personal information to schools/sports organizations. If you already HAVE an account, simply select the “Use an existing account” button to enter your email address—make sure everything is spelled correctly!
5. You will then receive an email from axis@drugfreesport.com. This email will directly link you into your AXIS account.  IMPORTANT TIME-SAVING TIP: SAVE THIS EMAIL IN A SAFE FOLDER IN YOUR INBOX FOR FUTURE DIETARY SUPPLEMENT INQUIRIES. DOING THIS WILL SAVE YOU TIME & ALLOW YOU TO ACCESS YOUR ACCOUNT 24/7 ON ANY DEVICE.
6. Follow the directions on the Dietary Supplement Inquiry Dashboard to enter and send supplements for review. NOTE: You MUST press the orange “Send Inquiry” button to deliver your message to our team. If you do not receive a confirmation email regarding supplement inquiry submission, you have not sent your products to our team!

Troubleshooting Issues with Drug Free Sport AXIS:

• ISSUE: You signed up for AXIS as outlined above, but have not received an email to access your account.
• SOLUTION #1: Check your junk & spam folders—these are usually two different folders.
• SOLUTION #2: If the email is not in your junk OR spam, contact your organization’s IT department to allow emails to be received from axis@drugfreesport.com and the “@drugfreesport.com” suffix.
• SOLUTION #3: If you have done these things and are not receiving the email, please call Anna Filardo (Education Services Program Manager) at 816-285-1429 or the toll-free AXIS hotline at 877-202-0769.
• ISSUE: You submitted an inquiry over 48 hours* ago and have not heard anything back from us.
• SOLUTION #1: Check your account and ensure that you hit the orange “send inquiry” button on the “Inquiries” tab.
• SOLUTION #2: If you did, in fact, hit “send inquiry,” please email us at axis@drugfreesport.com and include your Inquiry ID# in the subject line.

*Please note: If you submitted an inquiry after 5:00pm CST on a Friday, you may not receive a response until Monday afternoon.     

• ISSUE: You don’t see the medication you are taking in the “Prescription Drug Inquiry” database.
• SOLUTION #1: Type in the generic name of the medication instead of the brand name. If absent, try the brand name in the search bar. If neither the generic nor the brand name of the medication is listed in the database, see Solution #2 below.
• SOLUTION #2: Submit the medication as a “Dietary Supplement Inquiry” to our staff. Enter the medication name in the “Supplement Name” box, “Create & Add to Inquiry,” click orange “Send Inquiry” button. We will have our expert Pharmacist research the medication and report the status of the medication back to you within 24-48 hours.

If you are experiencing additional challenges with Drug Free Sport AXIS, please contact us directly at axis@drugfreesport.com or 877-202-0769. 

To learn more about NCAA's rules on permissible vs. impermissible dietary supplements view this webinar recording. 

NCAA "Approved" Supplements. Explaining the truth.

Contributed by Anna Filardo, MS, CPT 
Education Program Manager at Drug Free Sport, Inc.

MYTH: The NCAA approves dietary supplements.

Dietary supplement companies might advertise supplements as “NCAA Approved” on brand websites and packaging labels and persuade student-athletes to buy their product. This marketing effort may give sports medicine staff the perception that the supplement is safe and appropriate for their student-athletes. Many believe there is a list of NCAA “approved” dietary supplements— or that there is an approval process.

FACT:   

Image courtesy of NCAA

"There is no list of NCAA-approved supplement products.” [Quote and image from the 2016-17 NCAA Drug-Testing Program.] The NCAA has a food-first mindset: eat whole foods instead of using dietary supplements to achieve performance and recovery goals. Dietary supplements bring uncertainty to consumers. Due to minimal regulation or oversight by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), supplement companies ARE NOT required to have pre-market approval of safety, efficacy, or purity of their products before selling them to consumers. So, there is no way for the NCAA (or any sport organization) to be 100% certain of what is in a dietary supplement.  

Drug Free Sport AXIS™ is the NCAA’s preferred tool to provide guidance on dietary supplements and assess for banned ingredients and misleading marketing.  The Drug Free Sport AXIS™ team’s role is to compare the NCAA banned substance list with the supplement facts and ingredient list on any dietary supplement. This process does not endorse or indicate any approval for the use of a dietary supplement.

A Risk Level 1 DOES NOT mean the dietary supplement is approved for NCAA athletes. Student-athletes consume dietary supplements at their own risk. Similarly, it is up to the institution to interpret the NCAA bylaw that pertains to the direct distribution of permissible nutritional supplements.

It is important for athletic departments and student-athletes to understand that a supplement categorized as a Risk Level 1 in the Drug Free Sport AXIS™ Dietary Supplement Inquiry resource DOES NOT make the dietary supplement permissible to directly supply to student-athletes. Drug Free Sport does not provide official interpretation of NCAA policies and bylaws.

Let’s recap:

• The NCAA does not approve the use of dietary supplements.
• Dietary supplements are only permissible under four categories and certain ingredients.
• A Drug Free Sport AXIS™ Risk Level 1 supplement assignment does not indicate that the dietary supplement is approved or permissible for use. 

To learn more about NCAA rules regarding dietary supplements or to ask specific questions on the topic, be sure to register for our upcoming webinar on September 14: NCAA Dietary Supplements: Approved, Permissible, or Banned?  The webinar will be presented by Mary Wilfert, Associate Director for the NCAA Sports Science Institute and Lara Gray, Director of Education for Drug Free Sport.

To submit a Dietary Supplement Inquiry on Drug Free Sport AXIS™ visit www.drugfreesport.com/axis

Sport Exchange Summit: Background & Purpose

Drug Free Sport is a sport drug-testing company, so why are you hosting an educational conference?

Drug Free Sport is in a unique position to bring all sport professions together to further our mission to ensure fair and safe sport, and help to champion athlete well-being and collaboration among all athletic staff within a sport organization.

Education remains a large component of Drug Free Sport’s mission and business model and we are often on campus or in sport organization facilities observing and interacting with a variety sport professions. The programs that really shine in our eyes when it comes to complete athlete care and performance are those that fulfill a complete spectrum of sport disciplines, AND successfully work together. This appears in many ways including the collaboration between the athletic trainer and sports dietitian regarding an athlete with disordered eating; the strength and conditioning specialist noticing changes in the athlete’s energy and performance in the weight room and communicating concern to the athletic trainer for assessment of proper joint function and range of motion; the team physician sharing post-op reports with the sports dietitian and trainer to complete a full recovery plan for the athlete; and more.

What makes the Sport Exchange Summit different from other sport conferences?

Unfortunately, we find that many sport organizations currently do not operate with the full incorporation, sharing, and communication needed to engage all professions integral to athlete care and performance. Internally, operations are riddled with interdepartmental competition rather than collaboration and effective communication.

We felt that hosting a conference on some of the most important topics surrounding athlete well-being was a start, but only if we could encourage multidisciplinary participation. Compared to other specialty conferences where similar vocations learn with like-minded peers, we strive to bring variety to this unique learning opportunity. How many times have athletic trainers, sports dietitians, team physicians, strength and conditioning specialists, coaches, sports psychologists, administrators, compliance personnel, and other disciplines gathered together under one roof to discuss some of the most pressing issues related to athlete performance and well-being?

The conference will promote valuable discussion and networking opportunities for participants to learn from a variety of programs (high school, collegiate, professional) and professions. Content is driven to provide cutting edge developments and hot topics in sport, as well as the opportunity to showcase “what works” for successful athletic programs.  

So you want to encourage collaboration? How did this idea come about?

Collaborative engagements seem rare in the sports industry. Just like the athletes they serve, athletic personnel work more often in competitive environments. Limited sharing of expertise or communications regarding athlete well-being can limit athlete potential and the success of the greater organization or team. The Sport Exchange Summit hopes to change this mindset by offering a multidisciplinary concept for continuing education and professional development. Ideally, this approach will bring people from different backgrounds and sport professions together—allowing for shared learning and enhanced discussion on important topics in the industry.

Who do you want to collaborate?                             

The Sport Exchange Summit will bring together athletic directors, certified athletic trainers, team coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, sports dietitians, sport psychologists, team physicians, and other personnel to learn, discuss, and engage with one another on relevant topics.

What do you hope the attendees will get out of the Summit this July?

Ultimately, the hope is they learn something new that they can take back to their program and discuss effective opportunities to improve current models for athlete care. AND, the idealist in all of us hopes that they begin to shift their thinking and welcome the added expertise of other disciplines within their organization when looking to positively influence athlete performance and recovery gains.

But, for the avid conference attendee, we also have set forth the following learning objectives.

Attendees will be able to:

• Summarize current, pressing topics affecting athlete health and performance at all levels of competition. 
• Identify challenges and opportunities in creating a more collaborative (versus competitive) professional environment within sports organizations to enhance player development, health, and performance. 
• Consider the significance and psycho-social relevance of race and diversity, transgender, prescription and recreational drug abuse, drug-testing, and “life after sports” concerns for athletes within today’s sports organizations.  
• Describe the importance and impact of building a collaborative sports medicine and performance family that includes sports nutrition, sports psychology, and effective player engagement. 

The Sport Exchange Summit is a dense one-and-a-half day conference with hot and relevant topics that will help to grow athlete health and wellness. We hope you’ll consider joining us and take a positive step to increase collaboration at your respective program. Visit sportexchangesummit.com for more information and to register. Only 5 weeks left!

Continuing education credits are available for sport dietitians, certified athletic trainers, strength and conditioning specialists, and licensed psychologists.

Why You Need A Sports Dietitian On Your Sports Medicine Team

Contributed by Lara Gray, MS, RD, CSSD,

Director of Education at Drug Free Sport, Inc.

Full disclosure: I am a sports dietitian (RD). But that is not the only reason I feel compelled to write a brief post on this topic. Through our work and educational outreach at Drug Free Sport, I have observed that the role of sports RDs on the sports medicine team is still largely misunderstood, under-budgeted, missing—or all of these at once. So, let me make a few points to elaborate on why you need a sports RD in your athletic program. If you are a sports RD reading this, use this information to strengthen your case on why you are essential to any athletic programs’ success, and the health and safety of the athletes they serve.

Most athletes have little to no nutrition knowledge.

o   Even a basic understanding of which foods provide carbs, proteins, or fats is primarily absent. A lack of basic nutrition principles immediately limits an athlete’s potential to make adequate fueling decisions for performance. This, in conjunction with issues pertaining to budget, often predisposes athletes to selecting high fat, high sugar options from cheap, grab’n’go conveniences (e.g., fast food, fried foods).

Lack of awareness of food-based solutions leads to increased reliance and trust in potentially harmful dietary supplements.

o   This generation of athletes will not shy away from using technology to source ways to “treat” sports performance issues (read: Google, Facebook, Twitter searches and online influence are at an all-time high). Enter dietary supplements. An athlete's lack of awareness pertaining to nutrition solutions for performance and recovery, and the results of their web search, often leads to dietary supplement products with questionable contents. They are often unregulated, contaminated with prohibited substances, contain heavy metals or toxic pesticides, or fall short of all of these and merely contain almond or soy flour—yet charge $30-$100 per bottle.

To deter supplement use in sport, athletes must receive practical and effective food solutions.

o   Current research estimates the prevalence of dietary supplement use in sport to be within a wide range of 40-75%; higher among those at more elite levels. The expertise of the sport RD can not only provide sound guidance on supplement safety and efficacy, but most importantly, also offer food-first solutions that provide safe, sustainable, and highly effective alternatives.

University of Texas Sports Dietitian, Amy Culp, RD, CSSD, LD, creates teachable moments where most effective—in front of the food.  UT Athletics is an example of a high functioning and collaborative sports medicine team that effectively incorporates sports nutrition for shared success. Photo courtesy of  UT Athletics. 

Sports RDs make nutrition decisions highly approachable, visible, and easy for athletes.

o   Sports RDs are educated and trained in food service operations. This makes them a primary asset when negotiating and determining pre-/post-game meals, stocking and maintaining refueling stations, navigating food options while teams are traveling, and working with catering and food service managers to create/enrich training table meals.

The sports RD can save both time and money.

o   Food costs money. Consider the time saved in human resources if you have someone working with teams, caterers, operations staff, and food service staff who can confidently set menus while competition is both home and away. Recognize cost savings from a professional experienced in ordering and stocking only the appropriate amounts and types of nutrition resources.

Sports RDs effectively support the collective success of any multidisciplinary sports medicine team.

o   The team physician’s efforts in athlete post-surgical care;

The athletic trainer’s efforts to support recovery, injury prevention, and immunity;

The sport psychologist’s efforts addressing athletes with disordered eating;

The coach’s efforts in achieving optimal body composition for performance;

—are all elevated and improved by the work of a sports RD.

Make sure to set their place at the table!

For additional guidance on adding a sports dietitian to your team, or to find a certified specialist in sports dietetics (CSSD) in your area, please email me at lgray@drugfreesport.com. Drug Free Sport advocates for all professional disciplines that support athlete health, performance, and safety. To learn more about the impact of sports dietitians on high performance teams, and experience a new sports industry conference that focuses on maximizing collaborative success of “the team behind the team”, visit www.sportexchangesummit.com.

What impact has a sport dietitian had on your team or athletic program? PLEASE USE THE COMMENTS TO SHARE!

Supplement Certification Programs: State of the Industry and What You Need to Know

Dietary supplement (DS) contamination is a growing concern amongst sports organizations, defined as adding ingredients unlisted on the nutrition label into the supplement. DS are growing in popularity amongst athletes of all levels. However, little is known about these items that are being ingested by athletes. What is really in this supplement and is it banned?  

DS have a lot of unknown variables, due to a lack of government or industry regulation. Most sports organizations do not condone the use of DS, with intentions of protecting an athlete’s health and safety. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently does not regulate DS; therefore, anyone can make a dietary supplement without content restrictions. Many DS can be contaminated with Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs), substances that act like steroids. Without knowledge of these ingredients, athletes perceive the DS as harmless. In fact, it’s often quite the contrary. SARMS are strictly banned by most sports organizations, with a positive drug test due to banned substances bringing many perilous consequences.

Third-Party Supplement Certification Programs are fighting to ensure that all DS are safe to use and true to their labels. Meaning, DS companies are not hiding banned ingredients in their products. An excellent educational option for third-party supplement certification programs is the upcoming Sport Exchange Summit, Powered by Drug Free Sport. John Travis (Senior Research Scientist, National Science Foundation), Dave Ellis (first President of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association), and Dr. Dan Fabricant (Executive Director and CEO, Natural Products Association) will address the “what’s” and “why’s” of third-party supplement certification programs that are striving to clean up the supplement industry for athletes and general consumers. From the shared expertise of the panel, attendees will better understand the dynamics of banned substance testing, recognize products of concern, and begin to develop feasible approaches to help athletes make informed decisions about sports supplements.

Drug Free Sport’s Resource Exchange Center (REC) is the premier supplement review resource for NCAA, NAIA, LPGA, PGA Tour, USA Track & Field, and VADA sports organizations. The REC researches supplements submitted for contamination issues along with recalls, working to ensure health and safety of all of our clients’ athletes.

Don’t miss your chance to learn about third-party supplement certification programs at the Sport Exchange Summit, Powered by Drug Free Sport. Early-bird registration has been extended until the end of May! Register today at sportexchangesummit.com to educate yourself via industry leaders.

For more information on dietary supplement safety, visit dfsrec.com.