Prohibited Contaminants in Dietary Supplements

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Nutritional Science
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Unregulated dietary supplements pose significant risks to athletes.
• Athletes are susceptible to adverse medical events and inadvertent doping due to supplement use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the prevalence and nature of contamination in dietary supplements.
• To assess the risks associated with dietary supplement use in athletes, including doping violations.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review of multiple databases (Clinical Key, MEDLINE, PubMed) from 2012 to 2017.
• Searches included terms related to dietary supplements, contamination, and athlete doping.
• References of relevant articles were also reviewed.

Main Results:

• Dietary supplements in the U.S. are frequently contaminated due to poor manufacturing and intentional adulteration.
• Supplements marketed for weight loss and muscle building present a higher risk of contamination with banned substances.

Conclusions:

• Legislation is needed to improve dietary supplement regulation and protect athletes.
• In the interim, enhanced athlete and medical staff education and the use of third-party certified products are crucial for risk mitigation.