The Sunday Star Times has run a series of articles on the nutritional supplements programme operated by the former New Zealand Academy of Sport. In this article Peter Miskimmin, the Chief Executive of SPARC (Sport and Recreation New Zealand), provides context for the debate.
Part of SPARC's role is to ensure New Zealand's elite athletes are provided with the best possible support and advice, and that includes the much-debated area of nutritional supplements.
That's why a nutritional supplements programme was established by the New Zealand Academy of Sport (the Academy) in 2009 – so that athletes who choose to use supplements can be educated around the risks, and to ensure the supplements they use come from a reputable manufacturer so that those risks are reduced.
Recently there have been claims that athletes using the Academy's nutritional supplements programme risk inadvertently returning a positive doping test. In response to those claims, SPARC commissioned an independent review of the programme, which was carried out by an internationally respected sports lawyer. The review found that no Kiwi athlete has been at risk of returning a positive doping test through any product accessed through the programme. The review also said that if athletes are going to take supplements, it's far better for them to do so in an informed way, which is the aim of the programme, and the reason SPARC continues to support it.
The decision to establish a programme was made in 2009, after a study published by Drug Free Sport New Zealand showed that close to 90 percent of New Zealand's elite athletes had used nutritional supplements in the previous six months, and that many were doing so without seeking the advice of a professional.
'Nutritional supplements' includes vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, protein and amino acids, and includes carbohydrate sports drinks, food bars and gels. Of all the supplements available worldwide, only a small number have been proven to work. But that doesn't stop athletes wanting to try them. In many cases there is no guarantee that the supplements contain the ingredients listed on the label, and there's a risk they have been contaminated in the manufacturing process, so could contain substances banned by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA).
There were concerns that could lead to inadvertent positive doping tests, so the Academy proposed a programme which would educate athletes about the benefits and risks of using nutritional supplements, as part of a tailored diet, and provide access to a limited number of approved supplements from a reputable supplier.
The Academy ran a tender process to find a high-quality supplier, which was won by Integria Healthcare. The Academy's head nutritionist developed an approved list of products, with input from other nutritionists, and the programme began in July 2009. When it started, athletes emailed, faxed or phoned orders to staff at Integria and the products were sent out.
In November 2009, a group of nutritionists, including Massey University's Steve Stannard, raised concerns with the Academy about nutritional supplements and the programme, and in particular whether a small number of athletes had been able to order items which were not on the approved list.
The Academy and Integria took steps to stop that, but regrettably due to an administrative loophole in the programme, a small number of athletes were still able to receive a small number of products that, while not banned, were not on the list of approved products. They included Thermotone and Tribulus - ordered by eight of the 500 carded athletes who use the programme. It should be noted that the athletes could have sourced these products independently at any time, either on-line or from a retail outlet.
The Academy has accepted responsibility for this administrative loophole, while at the time noting they didn't believe it to be a high-risk situation, because of assurances from Integria that no product accessed through the programme would return a positive doping test.
In July this year, the Sunday Star-Times raised concerns that athletes had been exposed to doping risks through the loophole in the programme, and questioned the need for the programme. The Academy responded by taking further steps to tighten up the ordering system, and reminding athletes that they should only be ordering and taking approved products.
After further allegations, SPARC commissioned respected barrister Tim Castle to carry out an independent review of the Academy programme. SPARC felt this was a necessary and appropriate response, as the organisation which oversees government investment in sport, to reassure both itself and the public that no athletes were being put at risk.
Tim Castle's review found that there were flaws in the ordering process and improvements were needed. Because these improvements had been made by the time of the review, the programme was found to be sound. Tim Castle found that no athletes had been at risk of returning a positive doping test by reason of the programme. He also found the relationship between the Academy and Integria was both sound and professional.
Tim Castle found that all of Integria's products were required to meet the highest international standards because while dietary supplements are regulated as food in New Zealand, in Australia, where Integria manufactures, they are regulated as 'drugs/pharmaceuticals', and must meet robust Australian pharmaceutical standards.
The review also noted that the ordering system had been fixed. Athletes were now required to go on-line to order from a selection of approved products only, eliminating any risk of ordering unapproved products. Academy staff had also been prevented from accessing products through the programme.
Concerns had also been raised about athletes being able to order what were described as 'vanity products'. These products were not nutritional supplements, but Integria offered to include them, as they were products the company made which athletes needed. They included a product to strengthen nails, particularly useful for hockey players who risk infection when nails are damaged, and lip balm, which was used by elite sailors to protect them from sun and wind damage. The review saw no problem with that.
The review also found that there should have been consultation with Drug Free Sport NZ and medical experts, and that they should be consulted with as the programme goes forward. All of the report's recommendations have now either been, or are being, implemented.
On the broader debate about whether supplements should be taken by athletes at all, the review said that in the absence of the programme, athletes would continue to consume supplements anyway, and it was better for them to do so in an informed way.
The report is available on SPARC's website.
In August, the Sunday Star-Times raised further concerns around the safety of the weight-loss product Thermotone - which was ordered outside of the approved list - alleging athletes were at risk because that product contained a banned substance called octopamine. Octopamine is a naturally occurring substance in the human body and is found in many food types, including fish sauce and marmalade.
To be absolutely sure, SPARC requested an independent analysis and asked Drug Free Sport NZ to send a sample of Red8 Thermotone to the WADA accredited lab in Sydney. The lab found only trace levels of octopamine - not enough to trigger an anti-doping violation.
Further information from WADA's science director supported the view that the octopamine level was such that it could not be distinguished from that occurring naturally in the body or as a result of levels naturally found in food. Those levels would not result in a positive doping test.
The Sunday Star-Times also raised concerns about the supplement Tribulus, which was not approved but was ordered by a small number of athletes. Tribulus is used by athletes around the world and is not prohibited by WADA. Some people believe, mistakenly, that Tribulus can raise testosterone levels, which could lead to a positive doping test. The science disproves this. SPARC does not condone the use of products which claim to increase testosterone levels, and athletes are educated as such.
SPARC accepts the right of the newspaper to ask questions about the Academy's programme, and feels it responded in an appropriate and transparent manner by commissioning the independent review, publishing its findings, implementing its recommendations, and taking the added step of having a product independently tested. SPARC acknowledges that some athletes did order products outside the approved list, a breach of the Academy process, but is satisfied with the review findings, that regardless of that, athletes were never at risk of a doping violation.
If athletes need to use supplements, they should make sure they have professional advice, and that they take all possible care to ensure the quality of the supplements they use.
The supplements programme provides athletes with that advice, and with access to products from a reliable manufacturer, but ultimately, athletes are responsible for what they put into their body.
There will always be debate about nutritional supplements. But SPARC believes continuing to provide a programme, and the appropriate education to reduce the overall risk, is in the best interests of athletes.
