The USATF has teamed up with The National Center for Drug Free Sport to allow free access for all of their members to the Resource Exchange Center, a subscription service of Drug Free Sport.
The REC is a portal where athletes and coaches can ask questions about drugs and supplements to make sure that they are not ingesting anything illegal within the sport and to learn of any known health risks or side effects.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency already has a hotline that elite athletes can call to determine if a medication or specific substance is banned. The REC broadens this concept by enabling any USATF members — not just athletes in USADA’s drug-testing pool — to inquire about supplements, which can contain multiple substances, some labeled and some not. In addition, the REC and Drug-Free Sport will provide USATF members with information that is reported by athletes who take a supplement and have an adverse reaction to it.
The directions and the method for accessing the portal is a little confusing. First, you need to log in to the USATF website using your member ID number. It doesn’t say so, but you then need to return to the REC directions page and click on the REC logo (as shown above) to get to the REC Access Page which will provide your login information. Be aware that choosing your login name can also be difficult given their funky little widget.
I took a look around the site after I figured out hwo to access it, and there are some good informational articles mixed in with pages that don’t exist yet and are just coming soon… While the articles are certainly worth reading, the main feature I was hoping to see is conspicuously missing, and that is a list of common drugs and supplements and all of the information about each one that the site can provide.
As far as I can tell, if you want information about a specific drug or supplement, you need to ask and then wait for up to 24 hours for a response. That seems like it’s a a poor use of resources, as I have to imagine that many of the drugs and supplements people would ask about are going to be repeated over and over.
Still, it’s a great resource to have available, so if you are a member of the USATF and are at all curious about a supplement that you are or are considering taking, I highly recommend requesting information through the REC.
(More Info: Doug Logan’s Blog Announcement – Log In Instructions – REC Access Page)
Thank you for taking the time to search our page. We will work on making it easier for athletes to get to the page, but once you land on the REC homepage you simple need to select the USATF logo and type in your password. I would first like to address the following, ” the main feature I was hoping to see is conspicuously missing, and that is a list of common drugs and supplements and all of the information about each one that the site can provide. With thousands of supplements on the market today and the ever changing nature of the industry it would be irresponsible of the REC to create a list of problematic supplements. We update our Facebook fan page daily with industry recalls and constantly discuss relevant topics pertaining to supplements and athletics via Twitter and The REC Blog. We ask inquirers to wait 24 hours to make sure that the product has not changed or been pulled from the market. You are correct, many product questions are repeats, but often times the person has a deeper rooted question beyond that one product, and it is our job to address that.
Prior to 1990, all dietary supplements were closely regulated by the FDA and only included essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and proteins. In 1990, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act expanded the dietary supplement category to include “herbs or similar nutritional substances,” but the FDA maintained control over pre-market approval. In 1994, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) passed into law and radically changed the dietary supplement marketplace. DSHEA expanded the category of dietary supplements further to include substances such as: “Ginseng, fish oils, enzymes, glandular products such as hormones and steroids, and more.â�� DSHEA removed much, but not all of the FDA’s control over dietary supplements and as a result created what is considered to be a virtually unregulated industry
Student-athletes put their health (and in some cases their athletic eligibility) at risk by consuming dietary supplements without supervision from a physician. The dietary supplement industry, with its billion dollar marketing strategy, has convinced millions of consumers that they cannot get enough nutrients from their daily diet and that dietary supplements are the answer to enhanced health. From vitamins to anabolic steroids, the dietary supplement industry advertises a supplement for everything that ails the consumer. Most consumers, including student-athletes, are unaware of the health risks associated with using supplements, from mega-doses of vitamins, to heat related issues from stimulants to the stereotypical negative effects associated with steroid use (acne, mood swings, sexual dysfunction, etc.) The integrity of clean sports is being threatened. Educating student-athletes, parents, athletic trainers and others involved in athletics is the key to preventing unwarranted/unsafe supplement use.
It is essential that student-athletes understand that the under-regulation of the dietary supplement industry puts them at risk. Between 2000-2002 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) conducted laboratory tests on 634 supplements from around the world and found that 15% of the products tested contained banned substances, including anabolic agents that were not listed as ingredients on the supplement label. In 2007, HFL Sport Science tested 58 supplements produced in the U.S. and found that 25% contained unlisted anabolic agents, while others contained a combination of both stimulants and anabolic agents. There have been a number of recent high profile athletes who have received suspensions from competition after testing positive for banned substances found in their weight loss supplements. Many of these supplements were included in the FDA�s 2009 �Tainted Weight Loss Products� (72 products) voluntary recall and taken off the market by manufactures. The latest round of �voluntary recalls� included 65 products commonly sold on online. The products contained ingredients that should or could be classified as steroids. Sadly, once the product is removed from the market, the manufacturer �re-invents� the supplement and markets it under a different name.
If you have a question about nutrition or dietary supplements please contact the REC and allow us to help point you in the right direction.