Supplements can give positive dope results-IOC

Widely-used food supplements contain substances which could lead to positive results in tests for banned drugs, an International Olympic Committee study released on Thursday shows.

While sending a warning message to athletes, the IOC said the results also sounded alarm bells for general public health.

"If a teenager takes these supplements without knowing what is in them, and they contain precursors to hormones, he is potentially affecting his hormone system," said Patrick Schamasch, the IOC's Medical Director.

"This is a major concern for athletes but it is also a major concern for public health," he said.

The study, the IOC's first into nutritional supplements, showed 14.8 percent of 634 such items tested contained non-labelled substances which could lead to a positive test for banned anabolic steroids.

That prompted the Lausanne-based body to repeat its warning to athletes not to use such supplements and urge industry and governments to take tougher measures.

"We are telling athletes not to take any food supplements. If they take them, it's at their own risk. We've been telling them not to take food supplements since 1997 and now we have the proof -- this is a huge amount," Schamasch said.

NO COMPASSION

Under IOC rules, athletes are responsible for whatever is found in their bodies, whether taken intentionally or not. Schamasch stressed it would continue to show no compassion for athletes who unwittingly digested banned substances.

"We have no sympathy. Athletes are fully aware that they should not touch these products so it cannot be used as an excuse." he said. "There's no need to take them. A good nutritional diet is much better."

Most of the non-hormonal supplements were purchased in stores or over the Internet. The IOC analysed products from 215 different providers in 13 countries, which were gathered over a 13-month period ending in November 2001.

The Netherlands, whose soccer stars Edgar Davids, Jaap Stam and Frank De Boer have all failed drug tests in recent times, came out worst, with 25.8 percent of products in the IOC study leading to a positive result.

Austria was second with 22.7 percent of products testing positive, followed by Britain (18.9 pct) and the United States (18.8 pct), according to the study.

"The lack of oversight existing in some countries has prompted the IOC to intervene and to recommend to athletes not to take such products," the IOC said in a statement.

Some countries, like Switzerland, where the IOC is based, Sweden and Hungary, were given the all-clear.

But having warned athletes against the potential risks of nutritional supplements for the last five years, the IOC is now calling for such products to be subject to the same rigorous labelling rules as pharmaceuticals.

"The IOC hopes the results of this study demonstrate to governments and the industry the need for greater quality control to ensure substances not found on the label are not found in the product," it said.

"The IOC Medical Commission recommends controls, similar to those pertaining to the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, be applied to the production of nutritional supplements."

Out of the 94 samples which would lead to a positive result in an anti-doping test, 23 contained building blocks for both nandrolone and testosterone, 64 contained precursors of testosterone alone and seven of nandrolone alone.

The samples were analysed at the IOC-accredited laboratory in Cologne, Germany.