BACKGROUND: International studies have shown that 12-58 % of all dietary supplements intended for people who exercise and engage in sports contain substances prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC). In some cases, the doping substances are not declared on the product label, and the consumer may therefore be unaware of what he/she ingests. Many of the substances may cause adverse health effects, and sale of such products is illegal in Norway. MATERIAL AND METHOD: To investigate the prevalence of doping substances in dietary supplements sold on the Norwegian market, a total of 93 high-risk products from online shops targeting Norwegian consumers were analysed for substances on the WADC Prohibited List and pharmaceutical drugs. All supplements were marketed as able to boost energy levels and/or having a muscle-building or fat-burning effect. The products were selected on the basis of tips received, online forums and/or international lists. RESULTS: Altogether 21 of 93 (23 %) products analysed contained prohibited substances, pharmaceutical drugs and/or illegal amounts of caffeine. Substances on the WADC Prohibited List were detected in 8 of the 93 (9 %) dietary supplements. All products containing doping substances were declared as containing one or more banned substances. INTERPRETATION: The results show that using apparently legal dietary supplements purchased in online shops targeting Norwegian consumers involves a risk of inadvertent doping and adverse health effects.
BACKGROUND: International studies have shown that 12-58 % of all dietary supplements intended for people who exercise and engage in sports contain substances prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC). In some cases, the doping substances are not declared on the product label, and the consumer may therefore be unaware of what he/she ingests. Many of the substances may cause adverse health effects, and sale of such products is illegal in Norway. MATERIAL AND METHOD: To investigate the prevalence of doping substances in dietary supplements sold on the Norwegian market, a total of 93 high-risk products from online shops targeting Norwegian consumers were analysed for substances on the WADC Prohibited List and pharmaceutical drugs. All supplements were marketed as able to boost energy levels and/or having a muscle-building or fat-burning effect. The products were selected on the basis of tips received, online forums and/or international lists. RESULTS: Altogether 21 of 93 (23 %) products analysed contained prohibited substances, pharmaceutical drugs and/or illegal amounts of caffeine. Substances on the WADC Prohibited List were detected in 8 of the 93 (9 %) dietary supplements. All products containing doping substances were declared as containing one or more banned substances. INTERPRETATION: The results show that using apparently legal dietary supplements purchased in online shops targeting Norwegian consumers involves a risk of inadvertent doping and adverse health effects.
Authors: Aaron J Riviere; Rae Leach; Haleigh Mann; Samuel Robinson; Donna O Burnett; Jeganathan R Babu; Andrew Dandridge Frugé Journal: Nutrients Date: 2021-05-22 Impact factor: 5.717
Authors: Mami Shibata; Julius Burkauskas; Artemisa R Dores; Kei Kobayashi; Sayaka Yoshimura; Pierluigi Simonato; Ilaria De Luca; Dorotea Cicconcelli; Valentina Giorgetti; Irene P Carvalho; Fernando Barbosa; Cristina Monteiro; Toshiya Murai; Maria A Gómez-Martínez; Zsolt Demetrovics; Krisztina Edina Ábel; Attila Szabo; Alejandra Rebeca Melero Ventola; Eva Maria Arroyo-Anlló; Ricardo M Santos-Labrador; Inga Griskova-Bulanova; Aiste Pranckeviciene; Giuseppe Bersani; Hironobu Fujiwara; Ornella Corazza Journal: Front Psychol Date: 2021-07-06