The UK Anti Doping (UKAD) has issued a warning to athletes and players to be extra vigilant when using supplements. This comes as British shotputter Rachel Wallader became the first UK athlete to receive ban as a result of testing positive for the prohibited substance Methylhexaneamine. Rachel received a four month ban from the sport. It seems that two other athletes have also tested positive for the substance in recent months but their cases are on going.
Methylhexaneamine is also known as dimethylamylamine, dimethylpentylamine, DMAA, forthran, forthane, floradrene, geranamine and geranium oil. It has been increasingly found in nutritional supplements, typically those that are designed to increase energy or aid weight loss.
UK Anti-Doping Chief Executive, Andy Parkinson, said:
“The outcome of this case, and others from around the world, demonstrates how vigilant athletes must be when it comes to supplements. There is no guarantee that any supplement is free from a prohibited substance. Athletes are ultimately responsible for anything found in their system, no matter how it gets there.
“There are an increasing number of positive cases for methylhexaneamine for which athletes are facing a ban from sport. Whilst its downgrading in status in the 2011 Prohibited List is a welcome development, methylhexaneamine remains prohibited. Whether intentional or unintentional, its presence in the system can lead to an anti-doping rule violation and a ban from sport.”
And this is why people (not just athletes) should be wary of supplements. They’re not regulated (at least in the US, I don’t know about in the UK). Even if they have ingredient labels, it may not be what’s actually in them