CRN calls for transparency in testing dietary supplements

In response to a report issued by Informed-Choice, which claims to have tested and found small amounts of steroids and banned stimulants in sports nutrition products, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) issued the following statement from Steven Mister, president/CEO: "Sports nutrition supplements are legitimate and beneficial products and are particularly important to athletes. If this report is accurate, these results should concern the supplement industry and its consumers because it is illegal for supplement products to contain performance-enhancing steroids. Likewise, it is illegal for supplements to have undeclared ingredients—what's in the bottle should be disclosed on the label. Under the law, the FDA has the authority to take adulterated products that ignore the law off the shelf. We strongly urge Informed-Choice to immediately release the names of the brands/products that allegedly failed the tests as well as the brands/products which passed?.Additionally, we call on Informed-Choice to also release the full study, including the methods used for testing, whether those methods were validated for supplements and the alleged levels of contamination, to determine if the report is accurate."

Informed-Choice analyzed 58 supplement samples for its study. It said 25% of the samples showed the presence of steroid contamination, while 11% showed the existence of stimulants. Informed-Choice is a partnership between supplement companies and HFL, an anti-doping laboratory that helps athletes, coaches, trainers, and parents make an informed choice about the supplements they are taking or recommending.

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