Thursday, 1 August 2013

Supplements Products Not Always Safe

As a sports medicine specialist who handles badminton athlete I often get requests to examine a variety of food supplement that is offered to them, so that they are not to consume supplements that turned out to contain doping substances.

Still clear in my mind that in the case of doping wrote in Kompas newspaper before I left for the United States experienced Indonesian athletes have unknowingly taking supplements that were previously declared free of doping, but they have failed when tested doping.

Usually the doctor we just read content that tercantung in packaging and if there was no content that is included in the list of banned by WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) then we shall only state the product is safe for consumption by athletes.

However, what I read in the newspaper USA Today on August 25, 2013 which then turned out to have made me change what I believed all along, that as physicians we are quite content to believe what is written on the packaging. Moreover, the product was derived from a superpower that has been trusted credibility in producing a good supplement for health and exercise.

In USA Today that said that Matt Cahill who produces a lot of supplements, including the final product performance Craze fuel, was found guilty of making a food supplement formula using raw materials derived from hazardous materials such as pesticides, hormones, or materials included in the list of doping . Supplement that is claimed to improve health, combat obesity, improve the performance of athletes.

Production is sold online are apparently very salable in the market due to intense promotion. Public to believe that what is produced by the company because it is considered credible in producing a variety of supplements just because testimony is not the result of scientific research.

Cahill did not have the basic education in health, nutrition, or chemistry and worked as a security guard (life guard). He also does not have an expert staff that support production. Thus his actions solely for financial gain without regard to consumer safety factor.

The results of his actions caused the death, and the positive doping test result that the athletes missed opportunities, scholarships even greater success because it proved using doping products.

Companies formed was very reassuring that there are other companies who want to produce their own supplements. Unfortunately after the license is purchased it supplements already reaping complain when someone has died from consuming these products.

As a result, companies that license buyers demanded. However, Cahill is still safe to manufacture other supplements. Even crazier, when eventually he will go to jail, he sent a message on Twitter that he would make the long journey to find a new range of natural materials that will be used for future production.

In this case the FDA, the food and drug regulatory agencies in the United States, does not have an influence on the production of supplements so Cahill can be free to be creative with a variety of products.

Conclusions can we draw from the case Cahill is using supplements only if it is absolutely necessary and should already be safe because it has been approved by the FDA. Better use of natural materials native if it was needed.

The other thing is there are no shortcuts to improving sports performance except practice, practice, and practice.