Contamination of supplements with substances prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is an ongoing problem for sport and athletes across the world. Now, more than ever, athletes, sports professionals and consumers are seeking assurance that supplements are free of prohibited contaminants and banned substance tested. Leading the way in Australia, Body Science will be the first to provide this level of assurance, ensuring products are free of contaminants that could lead to positive drugs test results such as steroids and stimulants with the launch of their Informed-Sport endorsed Athlete Series range. Here’s what we know about Body Science leading the way in helping to protect professional athletes against accidental supplement doping.
The issue with accidental supplement doping in sports
The issue of contamination in supplements, combined with growing consumer demand for reassurance that products do not contain banned substances has lead nutrition and supplement manufacturer Body Science (BSc) to be the first Australian company to join LGC’s list of Informed-Sport approved brands. Having completed the rigorous Informed-Sport banned substance testing program, the Body Science Athlete Series range will now carry the Informed-Sport certification.
International studies have suggested that up to 15% of supplements may contain contaminated substances, reinforcing that there are inherent issues with the supplement industry worldwide. Solutions must include the regulation of manufacturing processes to ensure uncontaminated and accurately labelled products, appropriate government regulations, and product testing and certification programs for athletes and consumers.
Greg Young, Owner and Director of Body Science commented: “The new certification gives assurance to every athlete and consumer we power through our range of supplements that they are consuming clean products that are drug free.
At Body Science, we are completely committed to producing innovative products, focused on delivering results whilst maintaining our commitment to ethics. So for us, it was an absolute no brainer to be able to offer athletes and our consumers the highest level of testing whilst setting the benchmark locally”.
The globally recognised Informed-Sport certification will provide assurance to athletes and consumers that all Body Science products carrying the Informed-Sport mark have been batch tested for prohibited substances banned by the governing bodies of world sports. The certification adds to Body Science’s existing quality assurance systems to ensure their products are safe for athletes and consumers to use.
What is Informed-Sport certification?
Informed-Sport is a rigorous risk-minimisation program that promotes ‘clean’ sport by providing a solution to the issue of inadvertent doping through the use of contaminated sports nutrition. While it is not possible to guarantee that supplements are 100 per cent free of prohibited substances, the Informed-Sport mark provides the assurance that supplements have been regularly tested for prohibited substances and manufactured to high quality standards.
The Informed-Sport certification program was established in 2007 by one of the world’s leading doping control laboratories, LGC (formerly HFL Sport Science). The certification enables athletes, coaches and trainers to make more informed decisions when choosing sports supplements and has the support of the Australian Institute for Sport (AIS).
Findings around supplements contaminated with prohibited substances
Additional findings include:
- 2007 – LGC conducted a contamination survey in the USA, with 25% of the products shown to be contaminated with some form of steroid or stimulant.
- 2008 – LGC conducted a survey in the EU, with 10% of the products were contaminated with some form of prohibited steroid or stimulant
- 2013 – LGC conducted a survey in the EU, and 10% of the products were found to be contaminated.
How does Body Science ensure its Informed-Sport range is safe?
The Body Science range of Informed-Sport certified products will feature the Informed-Sport logo on their packaging and will be available in stores from 1st August 2014. The certification provides assurance that these products have undergone a rigorous screening program for banned substances in sport and are safe for consumption.
Body Science commenced the three-pronged testing process to become Informed-Sport certified almost two years ago. During the process, BSc was thoroughly assessed at three different stages; firstly, BSc was approached by the HFL to become their exclusive Australian launch partner.
Secondly a full review of BSc’s manufacturing facilities was conducted, with every single batch of incoming raw ingredients tested using HFL’s screen for a wide range of prohibited substances. Finally, every single batch of completed product is tested and assessed.
The Body Science Informed-Sport product range will launch with 11 products:
- Nitrovol Primal
- NitroBulk Muscle
- HydroxyBurn Elite
- HydroxyBurn Pro Diet
- L-Glutamine
- K-OS Pre-Workout
- Whey Protein Isolate
- Amino BCAA Fuel
- Creatine Monohydrate
- Milk Protein RTD
- Energy Gel.
Click here to find out more.
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