Dietary Supplement Industry BSCG

Supplement Industry

Sports leagues hold athletes strictly liable It doesn’t matter how a banned substance enters the body

Supplement Industry Competitors beware

Most sports, including all those that are signatories to the World Anti-Doping Code, hold an athlete strictly liable for any prohibited substance that is found in their bodies. It does not matter how the banned substance made its way into the athlete’s body; the athlete is strictly liable for the presence of that substance.

Athletes have been largely unsuccessful in their claims to attribute a positive drug test to a mislabeled dietary supplement, which is all too common in the supplement industry. Thus, athletes must take great care to know that what they are consuming will not put them in jeopardy of a positive drug test.

Consuming Dietary Supplements

Some sport authorities suggest that athletes should take a hard line and not consume dietary supplements, including vitamins, amino acids and protein supplements. But with studies showing dietary-supplement use growing, even among non-competitive adults,* such an approach is now seen by many as unrealistic. It also fails to acknowledge that many manufacturers of dietary supplements are responsible and make honest claims about their products.

Look for BSCG Certified Drug Free seal

The best way for an athlete to know that the dietary supplement he or she is consuming does not contain a dangerous substance that could lead to a positive drug test is to purchase one that has been BSCG Certified Drug Free. BSCG’s testing menu, which aligns with the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list, is the most comprehensive and finely tuned in the industry.

*According to a 2013 study from the National Marketing Institute, supplement usage among U.S. adults increased from 62 percent in 2009 to 73 percent in 2013.