Nutrition - WA Alert Drink

[archery_mum]

After information (below) from Alistair and others I have decided NOT to try this product. The best information I have which includes confirmation from the manufacturer that there is no issue would still not be much good if it turned out to be wrong. I will be contacting them again to se what they say about it.

I appreciate your advice on this matter

[ASW1973]

word of warning
no supplement is ratified by WADA no matter what it says on the label and any athlete is taking a risk in using supplements as they are not bound by the same production rules as pharmaceuticals and can often have trace elements that lead to a positive drug test. Many supplements have a percentage of "unknown" on their content list and this is a get out by the manufacturer as to there production techniques.
many athletes have failed drug tests due to this as the supplement industry may be using contaminated resources in their production because they are not legally bound to have a high level of production values.
So the advice from UKsport and WADA is dont use supplements

[timfatheroftom]

ditto everything that ASW said...........

[Murray]

Ditto here too. Definitely be wary.

[Watch_Man]

Originally Posted by ASW1973

word of warning
no supplement is ratified by WADA no matter what it says on the label and any athlete is taking a risk in using supplements as they are not bound by the same production rules as pharmaceuticals and can often have trace elements that lead to a positive drug test. Many supplements have a percentage of "unknown" on their content list and this is a get out by the manufacturer as to there production techniques.
many athletes have failed drug tests due to this as the supplement industry may be using contaminated resources in their production because they are not legally bound to have a high level of production values.
So the advice from UKsport and WADA is dont use supplements

Alistair, thanks for the feedback. I saw the information on the USADA website and we did some research before the manufacturer sent it. It is supposed to be negatively tested for trace nadrolone and none of the ingredients are on the banned list. I have been told it wasn't one of the 16% of supplements that had an issue. HOWEVER your warning is being taken seriously. I noted that even HFL's tests only cover the portion tested and will not even cover the remaining contents of a box It is interesting to note that lucozade Sport, Recovery, Hydro, energy etc all come with a similar warning. I know a few archers who use the powders bought off the shelf in Asda and Tesco so I guess it must apply to those as well.

[archery_mum]

I have edited my original post as watch_man has told me I should listen to the above advice and not use it.

[ASW1973]

obviously it depends upon what level you choose to compete at as to how carefull you are with respect to supplements.
Howevere if you ever choose to go to a competition that you can be drug tested at: 1 in britain and wendy will have been tested after it
then supplement taking is up there with risking judging your alcohol intake against a breathalyser! so just not worth the risk.
not long ago there were some supplements out there with the australian institute of sport label on them and this was taken to mean that they were "safe" with respect to testing...... it was not
As it stands the laws are not set up to victimize supplement manufacturers but untill they bring there production values in to line then they can not be ratified by any institute of sport or wada. The major issue outside of straight ingredients is the manufacturing process which may well use equipment that has been used to produce another product (in some cases steroids etc) this is not allowed under pharmaceutical regulations.
So sadly it has to be an attitude of avoidance of these products, the risk is just too great.

[archery_mum]

This seems to be a minefield, I appreciate the advice from Alistair, Tim and Murray and if nothing else this has brought the issue up for others to consider. I have seen so many use these sports type drinks, including at the BTC and National indoors, I just wonder how many are aware that there can be an issue even with those bought from supermarkets.

[Hidden Hippo]

To be honest, I've always been skeptical about this sort of product in the first place. Is there really a drastic effect on your body/ability that can't be achieved with traditional diet control? Judging by the standard you shoot to Wendy without this type of product I wouldn't want to take the risk of falling foul of the drug test.

[mk1]

Originally Posted by archery_mum

This seems to be a minefield, I appreciate the advice from Alistair, Tim and Murray and if nothing else this has brought the issue up for others to consider. I have seen so many use these sports type drinks, including at the BTC and National indoors, I just wonder how many are aware that there can be an issue even with those bought from supermarkets.

I guess we just don't expect to be sold hidden steroids in a supermarket disguised as an orange flavoured drink - surely there would be a law against that?

On the other hand its better to stick to a good alround diet and not take supplements - I really don't think normal healthy people need them or that they make a significant difference.