Banned Supplements - What To Look For!

As a professional, semi-professional or even an amateur athlete who is under the governing anti-doping agency of either ASADA (Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority) or WADA (World Anti-Doping Authority) it is critically important to be aware of the ingredients in your supplements and the potential risks for returning a positive test to any banned ingredients within your sport.

Similarly, as a worker within a business that tests for alcohol, opiates and narcotics or the like, it is just as important that you are similarly aware of the potential repercussions of consuming some ingredients found in over the counter (OTC) supplements.

In this brief article, I will discuss some of the newer ingredients found in popular stimulant based or hormonal support products currently being sold in Australia OTC that have since been added to the WADA banned substance list or that may be of concern for those tested in a work environment.

Please note – This list is current as of January 1st 2017 and some ingredients previously banned may not appear below. 

Hormonal

Androsta-3,5-diene-7,17-dione (Arimistane)

Known as an Aromatase Inhibitor (AI), Arimistane provides benefit to the user by blocking the aromatase enzyme, which is responsible for converting testosterone into estrogen within the body.

More specifically, Arimistane is categorised as a suicide AI, meaning it not only blocks the aromatase enzyme while in use but also for an undisclosed time after usage has been ceased as well.

As this is a banned ingredient in all WADA sports, consuming this substance is strictly prohibited.

Stimulants

4-methylhexan-2-amine (Methylhexanemine - DMAA)

Octopamine

Phenethylamine & Derivatives

Some common names used on sports supplement labels that may include phenethylamine and/or its derivatives are:

• Acacia Rigidula
• Erythropalum Scandens
• Bitter Orange Extract/Advantra Z/Citrus Aurantium

Consuming products with these names including in their ingredients list may potentially result in a positive doping test due to their naturally occurring stimulant compounds.

While these ingredients as they are written are not specifically on the banned WADA list, the issue lies within the ‘derivative’ standpoint of the anti-doping agency. Taking the ingredients listed above will come with an inherent risk that they may, or may not, contain active phenethylamine derivatives and cause a positive doping test post consumption.

Important Note - ‘Heptanes’

Within the WADA banned list, heptane derived stimulants are also listed, with specific reference to the following two stimulants:

1. Tuaminoheptane
2. Prolintane

Now, while these two particular stimulants are not found in any OTC supplements, they respectively are known as a sympathomimetic stimulant and a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor.

So why is this important?

Despite DMAA having been banned now for quite some time, 2 recent ingredients in DMBA and DMHA have been offered up as potential replacements.

These two ingredients are also known as sympathomimetic stimulants of which I would advise to prevent the use of all of these extracts due to potential derivatives causing a positive doping test.

The concern for potential positive testing is based upon both their method of action within the body and also their chemical structure. So while they may not be listed directly, similar to the derivatives of Phenethylamines, this particular stimulants may cause a false positive. 

Common names for these two ingredients include:

Additional Ingredients

Higenamine

Higenamine is known as a beta-2-agonist and despite having an incredibly short half-life in the body, of which may mean its effects on performance, fat loss and physiological change may be minimal, it is still considered a banned ingredient on the doping list.

Found commonly in fat loss products, Higenamine is promoted due to its similar method of action to ephedrine, which is also banned, and may improve bronchodilation similar to that of asthmatic medication such as salbutamol, which again, is also a banned ingredient when consumed in excess. 

Tested Workers

While workers are not traditionally tested for the use of hormones or specific performance enhancing agents, the primary ingredients you need to be cautious of are those listed in the stimulant section of this article.

Given the chemical structure of these ingredients, false positives for methyl derived stimulants and the like may occur so it is best to completely omit the use of any products containing the ingredients above.

My Final Thoughts

As an athlete competing under a governing agency that discloses undeniably the ingredients and their derivatives that a banned, it is the sole responsibility of the athlete to be aware of what they are consuming prior to use.

To minimise confusion, it is my opinion that athletes under WADA or ASADA legislation are best sticking to products found on the website controlled by Informed Choice, as these brands and their corresponding products are batch tested every time they are manufactured in order to ensure there are no banned ingredients present in their product.

For those wanting to reference this website, you can find all products currently approved by Informed Choice here:

http://informed-choice.org/certified-product-brands

Please ensure you click each brand to confirm the product you are using within their specified range is in fact approved, as not all products may be included.

Disclaimer: Nutrition Warehouse takes no responsibility for the misuse of supplements containing banned ingredients or their derivatives. It is the sole responsibility of the user to ensure the products they are using do not contain such ingredients and Nutrition Warehouse can not confirm that all ingredients currently banned under WADA legislation are included in this article.

Please ensure, you, as the athlete, conduct your own research into what you have purchased prior to consumption.