Sports supplements and Anabolic Androgenic Steroids

Recently, the use of sport supplements has become so common among most athletes. These supplements may contain undeclared substances that are banned by such international authorities as WHO, IOC and WADA. The present study, thus, is aimed at examining the final sport supplement products in terms of banned substances and measuring the adulteration level in order to prove the safety of these products and promote public health. The Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services of Iran confirms the safety of these products, monitors their production and import, and also marketing them at authorized places like the pharmacy. According to the existing regulations in Iran and other countries, the safety of sport supplements and the level of their androgenic-anabolic steroids are monitored and measured by such methods as GC/MS, LC/MS/MS. Beside the well-known side effects of anabolic steroids, new problems have emerged from using sport supplements distributed in the black market which may contain banned substances not declared on the label. These effects will cause harmful and dangerous changes in levels steroids and heart’s structure. Conditions pertaining to hormonal imbalances may also be caused by anabolic steroids. Due to the increasing use of sport supplements in order to achieve an effective training, the presence of adulterated, illegal and unsafe products continue to be a concern for many consumers and professional athletes alike. Since using sport supplements have become perilous, a credibility gap seems to exist between the athletes and medical communities who, it is believed can be overcome by efficient supervision and monitoring of the products.