JUST HOW SAFE ARE YOUR SUPPLEMENTS?
The Supplement Industry Under ScrutinyBy Steve Edwards
A couple of weeks ago, while in the midst of writing a long post about the dangers of ephedra, I picked up a copy of the Los Angeles Times during a break. One of the cover stories concerned a football player at Northwestern University who had recently died during practice. As it turned out, he was unknowingly ingesting large dosages of an ephedra-laced product. As this was the second similar incident that's come to my attention over the last couple of months, I decided that our readers should be brought into the loop.
In November, professional cyclist Scott Moninger tested positive for a drug called "19-norandrosterone," which he'd never heard of. This prompted Moninger to examine his supplement intake where a lab analysis showed the banned substance present in an over-the-counter amino acid supplement purchased at a Boulder, Colorado health food store. Moninger now faces a ban that could end his career and, for good reason the company that manufactured the tainted supplement is under heavy scrutiny.
The supplement industry has a fairly short and sordid history. It started in earnest during the "golden age" of bodybuilding around Gold's Gym in Venice, California in the early '70s. Back then, steroids were the drug of choice. When the first steroid crackdowns occurred, many "supplement companies" were formed. Often they were little more than glorified street pushers. Guys lurking around selling dyanabol to meatheads. They'd often find other vitamins and supplements to "legitimize" their businesses but the bottom line was that bodybuilders wanted it, and someone was going to supply it. As far as the authorities were concerned, steroid pushers were basically off the radar as long as nobody squawked. During this period, one notorious doctor would prescribe steroids to anyone that wanted them. His defense was that if he didn't do it, they'd just get them off the street anyway.
The lid blew off the supplement industry in 1988, when sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for steroids after winning the Olympic Gold in the 100 meters. Shortly after, Dr. Robert Voy wrote a book that revealed extensive use of banned substances during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. His book described using the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) labs to determine drug clearing times so users could avoid detection. Up until these revelations, the supplement industry's involvement with banned performance enhancers was not part of the public consciousness.
Since then it has gotten better, but slowly. The FDA has been hesitant to get into the fray and until recently, supplements didn't have to show data to back up their claims. Furthermore, since there is no regular testing that is required by law; labs have not been held accountable for what is actually in their products. This has been so bad in some cases that the USOC has advised athletes in their programs to avoid all supplements from a popular chain store brand because of repeated cases of contamination.
On the other hand, the popularity of dietary supplements has increased rapidly. With the average American consuming more and more "fast food," supplementing one's diet has becoming increasingly more important. So what was once an industry driven by a small group of extreme athletes, is now driven by the general public that is increasingly eager for results. Athletes are not the only ones that benefit from a performance edge. Everyone does, and especially those on exercise programs. There is no longer any argument that supplement-assisted exercise programs help the average person look and feel better quicker than they otherwise could. The argument is now about understanding the pitfalls of choosing resources and suppliers without careful consideration.
In Moninger's case, he ran out of his normal brand, which wasn't carried by his local store. So he picked another with similar ingredients listed on the label. Then the lab results confirmed that each 500mg capsule of the legal amino acid supplement (L-Tyrosine) was contaminated with an average of 28mg of 19-norandrosterone, and that's an alarmingly high percentage. Cases like this should, in time, lead to improvements by the supplement industry as a whole. To read more on Moninger's story, including his personal account, click here.
So, what should you do to ensure safety while still getting the benefits of supplement-assisted exercise? First, stick with major brands or companies that welcome testing of their products. (This is why buying the cheapest supplement that you can find is not always the best idea.) By sticking with major brands you can at least know they've been noticed, and probably tested. Some companies, like EAS, like to promote their testing, though there are countless examples of large companies (i.e., the tobacco industry) that use subjective testing procedures. Still, companies that challenge their products to be tested most likely have true confidence in their manufacturing procedures.
So what about Beachbody? Obviously, we wouldn't call attention to this if we didn't feel that our standards would survive the closest scrutiny of all. We hold our labs to the highest standards in the industry. In fact, when the Moninger story broke, we had just completed a full audit of our primary supplement manufacturer, Sun Ten Industries of Irvine, California. Sun Ten actually started manufacturing herbal supplements in Taipei 54 years ago, back when it's likely that the only American supplementing his diet was Jack LaLanne. They came to the U.S. 13 years ago with proven quality control protocol.
The company that did the audit was the same one we use to check all of our supplement procedures and claims for accuracy, PIA (Pharmaceutical Information Associates, Ltd.), of Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. While we have always had confidence in Sun Ten, management felt it was time to really put them to the test. I personally got to verify the audit procedure, and it was a lengthy and detailed process. We were like UN inspectors, making sure every procedure was up to code or better. As soon as we walked out the door, PIA's President Lawrence Liberti told me, "I would have 100% confidence in them. We still need to analyze our data but that's one of the best facilities I've ever been in." Not surprisingly in the final audit, Sun Ten scored extremely high across the board.
As for the future, agencies that verify supplement ingredients are starting to spring up. In 2000, United States Pharmacopoeia created the Dietary Supplement Verification Program (DSVP) to ensure that supplements contain the declared ingredients in the declared quantities. This private company is non-government and non-regulated as of now, but with other companies like PIA starting similar programs, it's now just a matter of time before there are industry standards to be met. As this happens, Beachbody will remain at the front of the pack when it comes to quality assurance and exceeding industry standards.
Beachbody NEWS FLASH:
Beachbody Products Contain No Ephedra—
Never Have, Never Will…
In the wake of another unfortunate incident involving the dietary supplement ephedra, we just want to emphasize that no Beachbody product has ever contained ephedra (or Ma Huang). We made this choice back before its danger had become public. We resisted the temptation to capitalize on a huge trend, simply because we have always felt that this supplement was unsafe.
DOES OUR LOW-CAL WHEY PROTEIN SHAKE TASTE GOOD?Ask customer, "busymommom," from the "Let's Talk About Supplements Forum" on the Beachbody™ Message Boards:
We ordered the Beachbody whey and I mixed up my first glass the other day and was delighted to find out that when Beachbody says it tastes great . . . it really does taste great!!! I've never had a protein shake that tasted this good...ever!
And the container is so big!
Thanks Beachbody for another great product!
Can't wait to try the meal replacement shakes for those days when we are on the run.
Anne
