Spiked Supplements
Over the last ten to fifteen years, sales in the global nutrition and supplements market have seen an unprecedented spike. This has encouraged a number of new players to step into the market with products that promise to be the elixir of youth, health, and vitality. According to the estimates of the Nutrition Business Journal report, the global nutrition and supplements market stood at US$96 billion as of 2012. A year later, it was approximately US$104 billion globally, industry analysts expect the nutrition supplement market to reach $175 Billion globally by 2020
Considering the economic value associated with the global trade of dietary supplements, they are very prone to be adulterated for economic reasons and profit increases. One of such adulterations encompasses the illegal addition of synthetic drugs since unscrupulous producers can augment dietary supplements to provide for quicker effects. In fact, for some products as, for example, weight-loss dietary supplements or erectile aids, consumers tend to quit using those products if they don't realize any initial effects. On the contrary, if the supplement quickly succeeds in providing the desired results, more units are likely to be sold, thus increasing the seller's profit.
Pharmaceutical adulterants include appetite suppressors, stimulants, antidepressants, anxiolytics, diuretics, and laxatives in weight-loss PFS, phosphodiesterase type-5 enzyme (PDE-5) inhibitors in sexual performance enhancement, and anabolic steroids and prohormones in supplements used for muscle building/sports performance enhancement. An additional problem concerns the use of analogs of those substances, for which no pharmacological studies are available, and also the use of counterfeit drugs of doubtful quality.
It is obvious that really hard core bodybuilders don’t care if their supplements contain anabolic steroids. And if their pre-work-out contains met-amphetamines. But maybe they should. If you cycle for a long time and use a hell of a lot of creatine, and this product is spiked like the chromatogram above shows, you should be concerned for your liver if you also use a few kinds of oral steroids. And every hard core bodybuilder does that. For us the main culprit is it are all orals powders, pills and capsules. All these fat-burners, pre-workouts , mass-builders etc etc are processed by the liver. We should be aware that other routes of administration are much more effective and safe, such as I.M. or Sub-Q injections, but supplement companies are not allowed to sell it. So you won’t find many adds in your favorite body-building magazine.
And who would want a product marketed as a vitamin B containing methasterone and dimethazine, or Thermogenic agent containing fluoxetine (Prozac), later in this blogpost.
Released data showed a very sad reality: 25% of all vitamins and supplements on sale are spiked with anabolic steroids and people use them without supposing anything about it. This is subject of interest not only for bodybuilding community as for all people of all ages. Ordinary individuals, who need supplementation or vitamins go to pharmacy and buy these products with a strong feeling that this is right and they goanna be useful. Whether this is young mom, an adult or a teenager, all of the risk to get in trap of misinformation and face unwanted health issue. Over the last time there was much reclamation on serious side effects as hair growth on women, liver problems, heart problems or impotence causing specialized institutions to take a closer look over the nutritional supplements market.
Dutch Analyses
The Dutch Doping Authority has conducted research into the presence of doping substances in sports supplements with an increased risk profile. These high-risk supplements are focused on hormone regulation, muscle gain, weight loss / fat burning, or obtaining more energy. In total, 66 products were analyzed from 21 different brands. The products were purchased from Dutch webshops.
Of these 66 high-risk sport food supplements tested, 25 (38%), "positive", and 30 (45%) 'negative'. Eight products (12%) contained doping substances with concentrations below the established threshold. These low concentrations can be explained by chemical processes that can occur with herbal ingredients. Since the concentrations found are so low, this gives in principle no risk for a top athlete at a possible doping. Three of the 66 products (5%) were 'not (fully) analyzable.
In the press it was made a big issue, ("one third of supplements contains doping"). After looking at the figures carefully, some would call it a storm in a teacup. In one third of the 25 cases in which there was contamination such as amphetamine-like substances or steroids, this turned out to be very low concentrations (traces). So low that this also could be derived from natural ingredients. In three cases, the supplements containing the substance phenethylamine, which is doping, true, but it was on the list of ingredients. Therefore "excluded from research." After all If you buy it, you "know", what you swallow.
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Two products from DY Nutrition (Dorian Yates) Black Bombs and Noxpump, contain high concentrations of phenethylamine (β-methylfenethylamine and N, β-dimethylfenetylamine).
The third product Lipo-bolic from Revolutions contains a high concentration of oxilofrine (an ephedrine-derived substance).
Odoardi et al (2015) analyzed 30 dietary supplements in order to check for the presence of anabolic agents not labelled as being present in these supplements. Many AASs were often detected in the same sample: androstenedione was detected in nine supplements, 5-androsten-3β-ol-17-one (DHEA) in 12, methandienone in three, stanozolol in one, testosterone in seven and testosterone esters in four of them. A retrospective analysis of suspected compounds not included at the beginning of the method development was also possible by means of the full acquisition spectra obtained with the HRMS technique.
Other analyses
Nine supplements suspected of containing drugs were analysed as part of investigation for the television programme Spotlight (Northern Ireland). The supplements were bought from high-street shops and from an e-commerce site. The products were sold as ‘fat burners’, ‘pro hormones’, or ‘hormone regulators’, with packaging often blatantly listing chemical names of drugs among the ingredients. One supplement contained Ostarine a SARM, two products contained 1,3-dimethylamylamine (DMAA), two products contained 1,3-dimethylbutylamine (DMBA). DMAA was identified in ‘dietary supplements’ and has been associated with serious adverse events, including acute myocardial infarction, strokes, and deaths .Since regulators have removed DMAA from the market, an analogue DMBA has appeared as a replacement. Three products contained untested anabolic steroids.
Back in 2006, doping experts have signaled the problem of supplements tainted with steroids. Eight years later situation has not changed dramatically much as we get constant warnings about popular vitamins and supplements being contaminated with body performance enhancement drugs.
In 2009, a report of US National Institutes of Health Nutritional announced that from 634 no hormonal nutritional supplements that were purchased in 13 different countries, 158 of them were contaminated with anabolic-androgenic steroids. The study was performed during 2001-2002 years and showed that the biggest part of supplements faked with steroids came from Chinesemanufacturers.
In july, 2013 FDA warned us that a vitamin B dietary supplement called B-50 contains two anabolic steroids and has been cited as causing unusual hair growth in women and impotence in men. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) collected samples of the product and discovered the steroids after regular tests. And there can be listed many other warning signs we got over the time.
We saw FDA in action in 2012, when one of the biggest supplements dealer paid a 7 million dollars fine for selling dietary supplements spiked with steroids. It was a sign that FDA is not just “blowing smoke” when told to take action over this trend.
The simple question that i have in mind is how many products miss to be tested or for how long they are administrated by people until they are proved to be dangerous for health?! Pretty sure, there are still a bunch of products not tested yet by FDA and are largely sold on pharmacies
The worst is that with time, the practice of tainting supplements with steroids has become even more popular. So that today larger amounts of banned substances can be found in nutritional supplements while users have no imagination of what they contain. According to what is stated on label there are safe products, containing only natural and acceptable substances. But you will never know their true composition. Not less important is the cross-contamination of supplements and vitamins that have to worry us in the same measure.
Not only nutritional supplements and vitamins are spiked with steroids. Weight loss pills or sexual enhancement supplements are also intentionally contaminated with steroids. There are many risks for a person who is unknowingly ingesting these products, especially if they have or are prone to heart, liver diseases or baldness.
Why manufacturers spike supplements with steroids 
The main reason behind this is money. How this can be explained? When taking a supplement you want it to show maximum effectiveness. If you lose weight, you want to do it fast. You want to build a better physique as soon as possible. If you need an erectile aid, you want it to work. We all look for fast results, whatever it is about.
The supplement which proves to give best result is the one you will choose. The more powerful is the supplement, the higher chances for it to be tainted with steroids. Normally, supplements contain substances of natural origin, so they cannot do wonders overnight. They are just a spark in the whole process.
The more potent is a supplement, the higher demand for it, the better it is selling. So, to increase sales manufacturers resort to such trick. The biggest concern has to raise supplements that come from new brand company, because reputable ones, with years of presence on the supplement market have fewer chances to risk this way.
How do not let yourself be deceived
FDA try to keep under control the supplements market, but this will never be enough to be sure no fakes are around. The best would be to do your own research before buying anything. Avoid cheap, unknown origin source supplements sell on the corner of the street or by first time met guy. Most probably, these are low quality products that put your health at risk.
Instead, look for authority manufacturers in this field and check what other users have to say on their products. A high number of positive reviews is a sign that this products could be trusted. But even so, you cannot be 100% sure about it ever.
“Are supplements tainted with steroids?” In many cases yes. But you are not told to avoid supplements use at all. They can help you to enhance your body weight or lose fat effectively. What you are advised is to choose them more rigorously and be aware of this fact. Stay informed and stay healthy!
OxyELITE Pro Super Thermogenic contains fluoxetine (Prozac).
A fitness supplement that was twice pulled from exchange store shelves, first following soldier deaths and then after an outbreak of liver disease, has now been found to contain the active ingredient in the prescription drug Prozac.
OxyElite Pro Super Thermogenic is sold as a weight-loss supplement, but the FDA said it has discovered the product contains fluoxetine, a drug used in treating mental disorders such as depression, bulimia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Fluoxetine and other drugs in its class can have serious side effects such as suicidal thinking, seizures and abnormal bleeding, the FDA said in its warning.The supplement was first pulled from military bases in 2011 after it and other supplements were found to contain the unregulated synthetic stimulant methylhexanamine, known as DMAA, which was suspected in the deaths of two soldiers at Fort Bliss, Texas.
The manufacturer, USPLabs, removed DMAA and tweaked the ingredients in 2013. But soon after the FDA said the supplement was suspected in 24 cases of nonviral hepatitis in Hawaii and appeared to contain an ingredient called aegeline (N-[2-hydroxy-2(4-methoxyphenyl) ethyl]-3-phenyl-2-propenamid), which had no history in the food supply and had not been safety tested.
USPLabs said that the product tested by FDA was not manufactured or distributed by or for the company.” It is a counterfeit,” they said….lol..
A product marketed as a vitamin B dietary supplement contains two potentially harmful anabolic steroids and should not be used by consumers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.
Laboratory analysis showed that Healthy Life Chemistry By Purity First B-50 contains methasterone and dimethazine. These ingredients are not listed on the label and should not be in a dietary supplement.
The FDA has received reports of 29 incidents of health problems associated with the product, including fatigue, muscle cramping, muscle pain, and problems with liver and thyroid function and cholesterol levels.
Withdrawn from the market?
Searching for a safe, natural product to help you lose weight, boost your libido, or pump up your pecs? Don’t be fooled by the seductive marketing claims for Botanical Slimming 100% Natural Softgel, Slim Xtreme Herbal Slimming Capsule, or Magic Power Coffee. Those supplements aren’t healthy, let alone magical. In fact, all three have been recalled by the Food and Drug Administration for containing banned drugs.
That would be a great success story except for this hitch: More than six months after they were supposedly yanked from the market, researchers found that many supplements recalled by the FDA are still being sold and still contain banned drugs
“The bottom line is that the FDA is simply not getting the job done,” said the study's author, Pieter Cohen, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an authority on dietary supplements. “Our laws are lax when it comes to regulating supplements. But it is at least clear that you cannot sell pharmaceutical drugs as if they are supplements.”
Cohen said that the FDA has spent millions tracking down tainted supplements and issuing warnings to their manufacturers. “The problem is that they don’t check that the products have been taken off the market,” he said. “There needs to be significant financial and legal consequences for repeatedly introducing banned substances in supplements.”
Another supplement, Magic Power Coffee, (pictured), is touted as a sexual enhancement drug that is “proven" to "increase libido” and “guarantee maximum potency.” It was taken off the market in 2010 when it was found to contain hydroxythiohomosildenafil. Yet Cohen’s team found that a recently purchased sample was spiked with a similar drug, sildenafil—the same drug found in Viagra.
FDA database
