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"Shin Splints"
A Blog by Doug Logan

Navigating the labyrinth

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Regular readers of this blog are aware of the stance I have taken regarding the supplement industry and the dangers athletes face if they choose to ingest supplements, which are manufactured with almost no regulation or oversight. Americans sometimes put their health at risk by using them, while athletes put their eligibility at risk if they unknowingly test positive for a banned substance contained in the supplement.

USATF's stance has always been -- and still is -- that the only way for athletes to be sure they don't ingest tainted supplements is not to take them at all. Yet we also recognize that supplements, from multivitamins to creatine and more, are so ingrained into American culture and sports culture that expecting athletes to compete with only food as their energy source is a bit naive.

Short of physically looking over every athlete's shoulder, 24-7, there is a limit to how much USATF can control athletes' decisions about what they put into their bodies. What we can do is to give them as much information as possible to enable them to make good decisions.

So, rather than leaving our athletes and members to entirely fend for themselves as they try to navigate the confounding labyrinth that is the multi-zillion dollar industry of "legal" supplements, USA Track & Field has entered into a partnership with the National Center for Drug Free Sport to help give all our members access to resources that will help them understand a supplement before they put it into their bodies.

Through the end of this year (and perhaps beyond), any USA Track & Field member can use Drug Free Sport's Resource Exchange Center as a tool to better understand the truth about supplements. Athletes, parents, coaches, officials and volunteers all can access the REC to help determine if a supplement contains any banned substances.

The REC is a service to provide accurate and confidential information about dietary supplements and dangerous or prohibited substances. It provides requested information and the status of ingredients of supplements with regard to U.S. Anti-Doping Policy.

How does it work? Let's say an athlete on any level -- youth, high school, professional, recreational, masters -- has been struggling with fatigue, and a trainer suggest he take supplement X to get better nutrition. Before the athlete even buys the supplement, he can use the REC to get an answer, within 24 hours, as to whether that supplement contains banned substances.

In another scenario, a parent of a high-school athlete might be concerned about some of the products her daughter is buying at the local nutrition store. Learning more about those products through the REC is one way to put your mind at ease, as well as to open a conversation with your child about the possible risks of using supplements.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency already has a hotline that elite athletes can call to determine if a medication or specific substance is banned. The REC broadens this concept by enabling any USATF members -- not just athletes in USADA's drug-testing pool -- to inquire about supplements, which can contain multiple substances, some labeled and some not. In addition, the REC and Drug-Free Sport will provide USATF members with information that is reported by athletes who take a supplement and have an adverse reaction to it.

Youth and masters athletes also are subject to drug testing, but just as important is the concept that, whether or not you are tested, training and competing clean is simply the right thing to do.

Again, I must emphasize that the only way athletes can truly know what they put in their bodies is by living and training supplement-free. But if an athlete does use supplements, or is considering using them, this new resource will help them make a more informed decision about the benefits and pitfalls of a given product.

The REC doesn't provide legal advice, and neither Drug Free Sport nor USATF can be responsible if an unlabeled substance in a supplement causes a positive drug test. But, we can help our members negotiate this complex topic to the greatest extent possible.

For more information about how to use your USATF membership to access the Resource Exchange Center, visit http://www.usatf.org/about/legal/antidoping/rec.asp

And as always, train hard, train well, and train and compete clean.

COMMENTS
Great resource, Doug. I'll pass the word on my blog. But a minor correction: Masters tracksters are subject to drug-testing in only the rarest of instances -- at the WMA world championships and a handful of European masters meets. And even then, only a tiny fraction are are tested. USATF has NEVER drug-tested at any American masters meet -- due to the cost. Masters distance runners are a different story.
Posted by: Ken Stone on 6/2/2009 12:42:17 PM PT
Regulate, regulate, regulate, legislate, legislate, police, police...what kind of world are you helping to create? Iknow doping is a problem and so are medications, injuuries, recuperative abilities but you guys sound like the folks who uased purioty to impose an aryan ideal upon the rest of the world and to eliminate the losers. I hope we stay in harmony with the principles of sport, aging , and recovery from trauma and training regimens.
Posted by: Wild Bill on 6/2/2009 4:47:52 PM PT
All these warnings and yet it is still very hard to find which substances are banned! I even heard that the kids can't have Sudafed or monster drinks. is this true and how can you ban sudafed during track season which by the way is in the height of the allergy and pollen season! And what could they take instead that would actually be effective for bad allergies? Thank you Please email me a list.
Posted by: mary on 6/2/2009 6:25:50 PM PT
Is this site better then NSF that does actual testing on the supplements and actually certifies for professional organizations that a supplement does not contain a banded substance?
Posted by: Concerned member on 6/2/2009 9:17:52 PM PT
This takes us nowhere, This platform should be used to talk about maketing the sport. It can be secondarily used to talk about developing athletes, coaches and local associations. I don't doubt the importance of the topic, but we are beating a dead horse. I don't see the NBA or NFL or NHL coming out with similar stories. This should be a good guide
Posted by: cap on 6/3/2009 1:47:48 PM PT
from past exerience i would reccomend that anyone takeing so called food supplements research the matter of vitamin muneral overdose toxcicity on the internet-about any kind of pathology can result from overdose and contrary to popular opinion the body does not nesacarily eliminate overdose amounts.
Posted by: samuel miller on 6/4/2009 4:44:27 AM PT
The "genie has been out of the bottle" and the bad guys are one setp ahead of the law!!! This is such a controverial subject that seems to have een with us since Galen (the original athletic trainer) was rubbing down his gladiators with mint leaves and cow dung. Think about the 3 of modalities we use to "improve" performance. It was DMSO that allowed athletes to reduce swelling from stains and sprains...miraculous stuff.....One can manipulate one's diet to produce all the chemicals available. Every day there are so many drug commericals and yet we want sport to be clean. At 60 years old and having coaced and officiated at every level.. I do not see the soluton on the horizon, but the discussion must continue!!
Posted by: Bo on 6/5/2009 8:43:34 AM PT
This is all stupid. What's the whole point. Why do we keep stopping the human body from advancing. Just legalize everything & no one can cheat. What I'm trying to say is that everything that makes and athlete better it gets banned. So why don't you bann water, bann gatorade, bann food, bann breathing, just bann everything..
Posted by: Roger on 6/9/2009 9:40:36 PM PT
THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHERE THE FDA FAILS. IF ITS NOT A POWERBAR, GRANOLA BAR, OR POWERADE BEVERAGE THEN IT SHOULD NOT BE SOLD IN STORE OR SPORTS MAGAZINE. IT SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED THAT AN ATHLETE MEMORIZE THE LIST OF 3000 DRUGS THAT ARE ILLEGAL. THE REAL DANGER IS THESE SPORTS NUTRITION COMPANIES WHO ARE ADVERTISING SOME SPECIAL MIX OR TABLET THAT SUPPOSEDLY CONTAINS THE MAGIC GLUCOSE OR MAGIC PROTEIN THAT IS SOMEHOW DIFFERENT FROM YOUR BASIC BREAKFAST CEREAL. AT THIS POINT READ THE LABEL & YOU WILL LIKELY SEE A LOT OF LONG FANCY NAMES WHICH SHOULD SET OFF AN ALARM BELL IN ONE'S HEAD. GLUCOSE IS GLUCOSE. NO CANISTER OF GLUCOSE X IS ANY BETTER THAN IF ONE ATE THE PROPER DIET. THERE IS NOTHING MAGICAL ABOUT IT IF IT COMES OUT OF A CANISTER. GENERALLY IF ONE SHOPS THEIR GROCERIES IN THE GROCERY STORE WHERE FAMILIARITY OF BRANDS ALREADY EXISTS, ONE WILL OBTAIN THEIR NECESSARY NUTRITION. SOME OF THESE SPORTS MARKETING COMPANIES ARE JUST TRYING TO LURE NAIVE ATHLETES INTO SOMETHING THAT IS PERHAPS LOADED W/ STEROIDS OR HGH. OTHERS ARE JUST COUNTING ON A NAIVE PUBLIC TO BUY THIS STUFF AS GLUCOSE POWDER IS SOMEHOW DIFFERENT FROM A BOWL OF OATMEAL & 2 SLICES OF TOAST. SOME OF THESE CONCOCTIONS ARE POST-WORKOUT ITEMS TO PROMOTE RECOVERY & REPAIR. THAT IS WHERE ONE MUST BE PRUDENT BECAUSE THIS IS PROBABLY DOWN STEROID ALLEY. THE CANISTERS OF SECRET CARBOHYDRATE AS A QUICK SOURCE OF ENERGY ARE JUST AS MISLEADING. THEY ARE TRYING TO PORTRAY CANISTER SUPER GLUCOSE AS SOMEHOW UNPARALLED RELATIVE TO SAY POWERBAR. THE CHIEF MISLEADER HERE IS NO RUNNER SHOULD BE CONSUMING AN ENERGY BOOSTER WITHIN PROXIMITY TO THEIR COMPETITION. THE BASIC REASON IS THAT A HIGH DOSAGE OF GLUCOSE PRIOR TO RACETIME IS LIKELY TO INDUCE THE INSULIN RUSH WHICH WILL IN EFFECT VIEW THE AMOUNT OF GLUCOSE IN THE BLOODSTREAM AS BEING ARTIFICIALLY TOO HIGH & THEREFORE SHUT IT DOWN.
Posted by: KIM LIBERA on 6/10/2009 9:49:37 AM PT
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Photo of Doug Logan Doug Logan is the CEO of USA Track & Field (USATF), the national governing body for track and field, long distance running, and race walking. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the organization has more than 90,000 members throughout the country.