The Study
Intended or Unintended Doping? A Review of the Presence of Doping Substances in Dietary Supplements Used in Sports
This study is like reading 23 different reports about what's actually in sports supplements and putting all that information together. Scientists looked at supplements in labs and checked if they contained hidden doping substances. What they found was that many supplements (12-58% of them) had stuff in them that wasn't on the label - like steroids or stimulants that are banned in sports. But here's the important part: this study can't prove that taking these supplements will definitely make someone fail a doping test or get sick. It just shows what's IN the supplements, not what happens when someone takes them.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review.
Where the score came from
Researchers looked at many studies to see if sports supplements have hidden doping substances that athletes wouldn't know they're taking.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 520 / 100
Quality score
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of cohort studies. They sit above a single cohort study but below a single randomized trial, because the underlying evidence is still observational.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes - this is very significant for athletes.
- 2Using contaminated supplements can cause positive doping tests even when athletes had no intention of doping, potentially ruining careers.
- 312 to 58 out of every 100 sports supplements tested had banned substances like prohormones or stimulants that weren't on the label.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nutrients
Year
2017
Authors
José Miguel Martínez-Sanz, I. Sospedra, C. Ortiz, E. Baladía, Á. Gil-Izquierdo, R. Ortíz-Moncada
Related Content
Claims (2)
Many sports supplements you can buy contain hidden illegal drugs that athletes aren't allowed to take. Studies found that between 12 and 58 out of every 100 supplements have these banned substances in them, which could accidentally make an athlete fail a drug test.
Many workout supplements and black market drugs don't contain what the labels say - they might have harmful stuff mixed in or be labeled completely wrong.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.