What’s In A Supplement And How Do You Know It Isn’t Harmful?

With advances in medicine has come a broader understanding of chemicals effects on our bodies and a more extensive list of these chemicals. Various compounds have emerged from ancient medicines and unexpected sources and there’s almost always a fashionable super-food on the market which promises miracles on the market these days. This is fine for most of us as these products do more good than harm and won’t affect our day to day lives too much. However, if you’re an athlete or sportsman then they could pose an issue.

The problem with a lot of supplements is that it’s hard to know exactly what’s been put into them. Though a lot of that which is on the market today is heavily scrutinised, it’s not always enough. With the internet opening the flood gates to foreign supplements it’s not always possible to know exactly what’s in each supplement and though it may be legal and above board in the country it was manufactured in, the country in which the product is sold is another thing entirely.

This is an issue which is becoming a real problem for Australian sportsmen. Though their own supplements are fine, imports from the USA and UK which have been produced with different regulations have become a real issue. If any of these sportsmen are caught with illegal substances in their bodies then it could well see the end of their sport careers. The problem is that they may not know what they’ve consumed is illegal.

The Australian government is putting stricter regulations on Australian-made supplements and those companies welcome the additional scrutiny. But as for substances coming from outside the country, purchased online or through the post, there’s not much that can be done. The government advise that athletes and sports men and women take extra care before taking an untested foreign supplement!