Doping Through Supplement Use: A Review of the Available Empirical Data

Abstract

The potential for supplement use to result in doping infringements is likely to be of concern for anyone involved in sports nutrition. The available data indicates that between 40-70% of athletes use supplements, and that between 10-15% of supplements may contain prohibited substances. Such data indicates that there is a considerable risk of accidental or inadvertent doping through using supplements. Accordingly, this paper sets out to provide an overview of the currently available empirical evidence of accidental doping by supplement use. In carrying out this task, the authors refer to press releases and proxy measures associated with nutritional supplement use, as well as statistical data on supplement contamination rates and doping infractions. A number of different indications as to the percentage of doping cases that might be attributed to supplement use are presented, ranging from 6.4% to 8.8%. Such percentages are not comparable; instead they are provided as indications as to how difficult it is to ascertain or estimate the scale of this problem. Although some forms of estimation can be made, it is suggested that it is currently not possible to quantify the scale of the problem. By way of conclusion, it is argued that antidoping regulators may wish to review current data gathering and information provision systems so that the problem of inadvertent doping can be more directly assessed as a factor in sports doping overall.

New strategies in sport nutrition to increase exercise performance

“…Given the risk of supplement contamination and the potential for failed drug tests [118] supplements are now often only given when there is a clear rationale for their use combined with the availability of independently drug-tested products. It is beyond the scope of this review to cover all supplements therefore the most popular ones are categorized according to the level of evidence supporting their benefit and summarized in Table 1.…”

Fatores Associados Ao Uso De Suplementos Alimentares Entre Atletas: Revisão Sistemática

“…Na verdade, do ponto de vista clínico, isso seria interessante, uma vez que a suplementação pode beneficiar atletas com deficiências nutricionais pré-existentes e sob dietas hiper ou hipocalóricas 4,8,12 . No entanto, há de se considerar que 10 a 15% dos suplementos contém substâncias proibidas e apresentam considerável risco de doping acidental ou involuntário 40 33 revisou o tema suplementos alimentares e modalidades coletivas. A presente revisão sistemática além de ter investigado a prevalência e características do consumo dos suplementos, também abordou os fatores associados a esse consumo, e também estendeu a atletas de diversas modalidades e qualquer faixa etária.…”

Reflection on sports nutrition: Where we come from, where we are, and where we are headed

“…The use of substances for improving performance began to be considered inappropriate after the war, and the first doping tests were introduced in sports in the 1960s 17,24 .…”

“…Some problems have been identified with this practice -a study showed that the type of supplement used and the reasons for its use are not always congruent, indicating athletes' insufficient knowledge on the topic 46 . Even worse is the fact that 10.0-15.0% of nutritional supplements may be tampered with substances that can be considered doping agents 24 . Outram & Stweart 24 estimate that 6.4 to 8.8% of the identified doping cases can be attributed to the use of these supplements.…”

“…Outram & Stweart 24 estimate that 6.4 to 8.8% of the identified doping cases can be attributed to the use of these supplements. Currently athletes are strictly monitored in competitions and the World Anti-Doping Agency annually publishes a list of prohibited substances 17,24 .…”