Lack of Transparency for Sports Supplement Users.
Proprietary blend labelling on The Curse pre-workout packaging.
Months after anabolic steroids were found in six sports supplements sold in New Zealand, issues have been uncovered with the labelling of some available products.
After examining pre-workout supplements sold in three popular stores in central Wellington, no further harmful substances were discovered.
However, with vague labelling on the packaging of some supplements, it is uncertain whether the products on our shelves are safe.
The pre-workout supplement called “The Curse” is widely available throughout New Zealand supplement stores along with being sold online.
At $46 a tub of 50 serves, it is one of the more affordable products which makes it a popular purchase amongst keen gym-goers.
In March this year, The Curse was nominated as pre-workout supplement of the year at the NASKORSPORTS and the Bodybuilding.com supplement awards.
Optimum Nutrition’s Essential Amino Energy supplement is also widely available and highly regarded.
Yet the ingredients displayed on the packaging of both products are listed under proprietary blends.
According to Operation Supplement Safety, proprietary blends are the list of ingredients that make up a formula specific to the manufacturer.
Although the ingredients in the blend are listed, the amount of each ingredient is not. Instead, only the total weight is recorded.
The labelling on supplements like The Curse & Essential Amino Energy highlight the poor transparency of what is in our pre-workout powders.
Brief New Zealand labelling regulations suggest proprietary blend labelling is acceptable.
The Dietary Supplements Regulations 1985 says labelling should state the net weight of an ingredient in any measure appropriate.
The New Zealand Food Standards Code says compound ingredients do not need to be listed if used in amounts of less than 5% of the final food.
United States regulations are similar.
The United States Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act 1994 and Food and Drug Association both say proprietary blends must only list the total quantity of ingredients in the blend.
Medsafe is responsible for administering supplement labelling regulations in New Zealand.
The Medsafe website states “There is no pre-approval process for dietary supplements. It remains the responsibility of the sponsor to ensure the product is made to an acceptable quality, is safe to use and complies with the law.”
Along with the lack of pre-approval, there is no legal requirement to prove supplements have any health benefits.
The Food and Drug Association US says it is important users are aware how much of each ingredient is included in the supplement particularly when that ingredient is a stimulant such as caffeine.
The American organisation Transparent Labs says consumers should avoid products which use proprietary blends on their labels.
They say, “there is absolutely no reason for a supplement to use a proprietary blend other than to deceive their customers”
“If a supplement company isn’t willing to tell you exactly what is in their products, it’s because they don’t want you to know.”
Founder of American supplement Legion Athletics Mark Mathews says many supplement manufacturers are not transparent when it comes to labelling their products.
“Proprietary blends are a way for companies to avoid telling consumers what is really in their product.” He also says manufacturers often use “label filler ingredients”.
These are cheap substances with no scientifically proven value which are used to make the product more appealing. A ‘more bang for your buck’ marketing approach.’
A study conducted in 2015 showed 95% of elite athletes and 70% of High school 1st XV players in New Zealand are using sports supplements such as pre-workout powders.
Pre-workout supplements are a combination of ingredients which increase concentration and energy levels to enhance performance levels and maximise workout results.
Most pre-workout powders contain caffeine, creatine, and beta-alanine. These substances combined claim to enable athletes to be alert, powerful, and perform for longer periods of time.
Pre-workout supplements are very popular in New Zealand. But, with harmful substances hidden in some products, some consumers have become wary of using them.
Regular gym-goer Hazel Burroughs says she often uses protein shakes after her workout for muscle repair but avoids pre-workouts after the recent commotion.
Many nutritionists advise against using pre-workout supplements as they may contain substances which could lead to health risks and positive drug tests.
Northern Knights Cricket player James Baker says, “We have to make sure any supplement we take is batch tested for any banned substances.”
“The hard thing is that the ingredients listed on the supplements are not often accurate and commonly has lots of made up ingredients that no one understands.”
After speculation around supplements, the Knight’s nutritionist Lilian Morton, who also works with New Zealand Sevens and Rowing NZ, orders and checks all the player's supplements before consumption.
When asked about pre-workout supplements Baker says, “We are advised to stay away from any pre-workouts, mass gainers, and fat burners.”
Retailers at popular Wellington supplement store Got Supps say pre-workout supplements are popular and safe if used correctly.
They say people can be sensitive to the stimulants in pre-workouts if they’re not used to drinking caffeine. If that’s the case non-stimulant options are available.
When asked about proprietary blends isupps say this labelling is cost-effective as manufacturers are not required to get dosages 100% correct.
isupps don’t sell any products with proprietary blend labelling and only sell premium products from one provider who collects directly from manufacturers.
Retailers Xtreme Nutrition and Got Supps who do sell The Curse and Essential Amino Energy don’t think proprietary labelling is dangerous.
They did say the two pre-workouts mentioned are stronger than others so users should take a lower dosage to test it out.
All three stores wouldn’t recommend using the two supplements as entry-level pre-workouts.
“I would never recommend The Curse to new supplement users because there’s so many stimulants,” isupps workers say.
Last month androgen, a form of anabolic steroids, was found in six sports supplements sold in New Zealand. These steroids were not identified on the labelling. Since then, the products have been taken off supplement shelves.
The six products have not yet been identified however, owner of TopMark Nutrition, Mark Landsdale told Stuff he expects pre-workouts, fat burners and testosterone boosters to be the types products under a microscope.
Adulteration could be the cause of banned substances surfacing in supplements despite not being indicated on the label.
This is where an ingredient is added to increase the quantity of the food. The added substance may be poisonous or deleterious.
The Curse pre-workout exemplifies how proprietary blends can mislead consumers. The product contains 155mg of caffeine which is a safe amount.
But when combined with the Olive Leaf Extract the effect of the caffeine is enhanced.
A new Banned Substance Tested tick has been introduced so consumers can confidently purchase a safe supplement.
The isupps retailers explained the issues with this initiative. They say some importing retailers can pirate the sticker without running it through the banned substance free website.
CEO of Drug-Free Sport, Nick Patterson told Newshub, the key issue is that nobody knows exactly what’s in their supplements.
It is difficult for consumers to identify potentially harmful products if their labelling is vague.
Supplement users are advised to conduct thorough research before purchasing pre-workout supplements and should consult their GP about any personal health risks.
If users are new or unsure about which supplements to purchase, they should avoid proprietary blend labelling and choose a pre-workout lower in caffeine (Approximately 160mg.)
Below is an example of safe and transparent pre-workout labelling.
REFERENCES
Burroughs, D. (2016, March 18). Up to 70 per cent of first XV players using supplements. Stuff. Retrieved from: http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/77975703/up-to-70-per-cent-of-first-xv-players-using-supplements
Cobra Labs. (2017). News and Media. Retrieved from: http://cobralabs.com/news-media
Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. (1994). Retrieved from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/About/DSHEA_Wording.aspx#sec7
Dietary Supplements Regulations. (1995). Retrieved from: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/1985/0208/latest/DLM102109.html
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand. (2015). Food Standards Code. Retrieved from: http://www.foodstandards.govt.nz/code/Pages/default.aspx
IFT. (1999, July 1). Dietary Supplements: Nutritional and Legal Considerations. Retrieved from: http://www.ift.org/knowledge-center/read-ift-publications/science-reports/scientific-status-summaries/dietary-supplements.aspx
Medsafe. (2017). Dietary Supplements. Retrieved from: http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/regulatory/DietarySupplements/Regulation.asp
Mike Mathews (2015). Everything You Need to Know About Pre-Workout Supplements. https://legionathletics.com/pre-workout-supplements/
Operation Supplement Safety. (2017, April 17). I’ve seen the term “proprietary blend” on products. What does this mean? Retrieved from: https://www.opss.org/faqs/i’ve-seen-term-“proprietary-blend”-labels-dietary-supplement-products-what-does-mean
Strang, B. (2017, October 6). ‘Name and Shame’ tainted sports supplements begs leading industry chief executive. Stuff. Retrieved from: https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/97610800/name-and-shame-tainted-sports-supplements-begs-leading-industry-chief-executive
Supplements.co.nz. (2017). Cobra Labs The Curse- 50 Serves. Retrieved from: https://www.supplements.co.nz/products/cobra-labs-the-curse?gclid=Cj0KCQjwybvPBRDBARIsAA7T2khhTottGBLvv_eQH5lnJtJ5in9qq3oT3LojNEtn2xUxGhD6hnkvn3oaAmUOEALw_wcB
The Food Supplements (England) Regulations. (2003). Retrieved from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1387/regulation/7/made
Transparent labs. (2015, September 9). Pre-workout supplements- what to avoid and ingredients to look for. Retrieved from: https://www.transparentlabs.com/blogs/nutritional-science/62553155-pre-workout-supplements-what-to-avoid-ingredients-to-look-for
Tukia, A. (2017, September 27). Six sports supplements sold in New Zealand found to contain steroids. Newshub. Retrieved from: http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2017/09/six-sports-supplements-sold-in-new-zealand-found-to-contain-steroids.html
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2017). Dietary Supplements: What You Need To Know. Retrieved from: https://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm109760.htm
Volek. J.F et al. (2017). 25 top sports supplements. Retrieved from: https://www.nutritionexpress.com/showarticle.aspx?id=1724