Cautionary tale re: OTC supplements and doping

[djg21]

This article should stand as a cautionary note to all of us, whether or not competitive, to make sure you aware of what you are ingesting, especially when it comes to supplements which are no longer subject to vigourous FDA regulation.

Rudy Taelman, 49, Belgian amateur champion of his age category, has been handed a one-year ban for a positive doping control for which he had asked. As an active anti-doping advocate, he had instigated the doping controls performed by the Flemish Community at the Belgian Championships of the WAOD amateur cycling federation. But after he'd won his age group event, he tested positive for Methylhexanamine.
. . . .

Even the Belgian agency for food safety supports his argument that the Methylhexanamine came from a supplement by the name of Crack. "I especially looked for a safe supplement and my pharmacist said that Crack did not contain any doping," said Taelman. "How can I, along with thousands of recreational sportsmen, know that Crack contains Methylhexanamine?"

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/belgian-amateur-champion-receives-one-year-ban

I'd like to feel a little sorry for this guy, but really have to wonder who would purchase a supplement marketed under the trade-name "Crack"?

[torquer]

"No longer subject to vigorous FDA regulation"?
Have they ever been?
As far as I recall, this industry of snake-oil merchants has, with the help of a few paid-off politicos, managed to totally evade any kind of meaningfull regulatory oversight.
This story is out of Belgium, of course, and it would seem its no better over there.
And I agree, anybody (even a native French or Walloon-speaker) who uses something called "Crack" is asking for trouble. I don't parlez-vous myself, but I know enough to skip the daily putain de bordel de merde.

[maxdog]

Oversight of the food/supplement industry. That's hilarious. You might want to start growing/raising your own, or purchase from someone that does.

[weiwentg]

Crack (the supplement) has a form of creatine, and methylhexanamine is listed on the ingredients (as 1,3-dimethylamylamine). THe latter appears to be a stimulant and can help with fat loss.

http://www.revolutions-nutrition.com/product/details/21/Crack

So ... if you're taking supplements, I guess you have cross check every listed ingredient or hope you don't get tested. Or maybe stick to straight creatine or stuff like that. This isn't a contamination issue, although that can happen too. I know a lot of people want every legal advantage they can get, but this is a bit of a shady industry.

Sucks for the rider.

[false_Aest]

As someone who frequently takes supplements and has willingly tried banned stuff (e.g. DHEA, stimul-laced pre-workout mixes, etc) its your own freaking fault... at least within the U.S.

1) sup market is not regulated because none of this stuff diagnoses, treats, etc anything.
2) contamination is a huge possibility
3) this stuff is usually made for a certain type of "gain" in a sport* that doesn't have much regulation
4) like others have said, names like Crack, Animal, SHREDMAX, etc are not trustworthy... would you trust your daughter going out with a dude nicknamed Boner?

The reason why I'm not sympathetic is because there are supplement mfgs that make sure that they work within WADA guidelines and will not add banned substances (For any sport) to their mixes. Yeah, they're fewer and more expensive but they're not hard to find. Hammer Nutrition is one.

As for any cyclist looking to supplement completely within the USAC/UCI/WADA guidelines, taking any supplement with a stim is NOT a good idea unless the ONLY stimulant is caffeine.

*Don't you dare say that bodybuilding is not a sport.

[verticaldoug]

I think it was bodybuilding.com or some other online shop that was heavily fined for selling protein powder laced with steroids. I think the protein powder quickly became a hit with high school football players for making significant strength gains.

Contamination is a real issue and I think the larger supplement companies (Hammer, First Endurance , Etc) address this in their production.