Steroids in Our Supplements is More Important Than Steroids in Baseball

Uber-lobbyist to the supplement industry, Loren Israelsen, recently forwarded selected remarks from an editorial by Rob Eder of Drug Store News to members of the United Natural Products Alliance. I was dismayed to see Rob Eder (and by extension Loren Israelsen) rave about the good job the supplement industry does at policing itself.

“As I have previously suggested, perhaps the Congress should examine whether the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act–DSHEA, as it is commonly known–is being adequately enforced,” Fehr said […]

I have got some news for Donald Fehr: They don’t sell steroids in the supplement aisle. They don’t sell the “cream” or the “clear,” either. That’s because this industry does a better job of policing itself than Major League Baseball ever could.

Clearly, Fehr was disingeniously trying to blame DSHEA for the problem baseball was having with anabolic steroids. He tried to use the supplement industry as a scapegoat for MLB’s problems and it deservedly failed.

But the supplement industry needs to pull their heads out of the stand, stop patting themselves on the back for a job well-done, and respond honestly to criticisms of their industry.

First, they have failed miserably at self-regulating the supplement industry. Steroids are currently sold in the supplement aisle. And they have been for over a decade. They were sold legally under DSHEA up until the loophole was closed by the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004. They were even sold using pharmaceutical delivery methods most likely not permitted by DSHEA. And since 2004, supplement companies have continued to sell designer steroids. Supplement industry expert, William Llewellyn, clarified this for me in his comments to a previous post:

Designer steroids are still sold, as has been discussed above. SOmetimes they are not labeled as ingredients, but most often they are clearly listed. The fact remains, however, that synthetic designer steroids are considered unapproved new drugs, and are NOT covered by DSHEA as legal dietary supplements. Patrick Arnold was charged, and served time, for such a crime – no new law needs to be passed to address this.

Andro, norandro etc were covered by DSHEA because you could find them in most animals, and hence in the food supply. No animals, plants, etc naturally produce DMT, Epistane, methyl, 1-4ADD, etc etc.

I am sure there are only a few companies flaunting DSHEA and this doesn’t reflect the practices of the entire industry. But my point is that the industry is NOT doing a good job self-policing itself because the practice continues unabated.

Furthermore, significant percentages of dietary supplements have been reported to be contaminated with anabolic steroids and stimulants that are not disclosed in the ingredients. It would be nice to share my protein shake with my 6-year old daughter without worrying about the possibility of contamination due to poor quality control.

If the supplement industry is content to ignore the problem of poor self-regulation, then they share in the blame should a backlash against DSHEA occur as a result of the present-day steroid hysteria.

The next time you hear an “industry expert” say something like this (“Major League pain for supplements,” February 11)…

 They don’t sell steroids in the supplement aisle.

Or this…

Anabolic steroids are not dietary supplements and dietary supplements are not anabolic steroids,” said Council of Responsible Nutrition president Steve Mister.

…please ask them to be honest for the sake of the future of DSHEA. Steroids and designer steroids are and have been sold, legally and illegally, as dietary supplements.

But I have to give credit to Rob Eder. In his closing comments, he sarcastically suggested that Fehr donate $20 million to help the FDA enforce DSHEA.

So where exactly did Fehr think the government would get the money to conduct that kind of an investigation? Rather than spend $20 million to pay for former Sen. Mitchell’s investigation, why not just donate the $20 million to the Food and Drug Administration whose job it is to police the dietary supplement industry? Contrary to popular belief, DSHEA absolutely grants FDA regulatory authority over the dietary supplement industry.

If MLB was really concerned about what products the FDA allows to come to market, they’d spend the $20 million to lobby Congress for a greater annual budget allocation for FDA.

Bravo. Illegal or undisclosed steroids in our dietary supplements is more important than the voluntary use of steroids by professional baseball players. It is time that Congress reevaluate their priorities. I like DSHEA. It just needs to be enforced. It is clear that the supplement industry can’t regulate itself as they are not even aware of any problems. Rather than waste money on steroids in baseball, federal money would be better spent enforcing a good law like DSHEA and making our dietary supplements safe.

About the author

Millard

MESO-Rx | Website

Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.