Washington DC - supplement/steroid update

June 12, 2008

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Supplements are not steroids, industry tells Congress

By Shane Starling

6/12/2008- An industry-led campaign to educate Congress staff about

dietary supplements in sports nutrition has kicked into action with the

first in a series of meetings with key personnel.

More than 70 delegates last week attended the first lunch briefing in

Washington DC where they were informed about some of the truths and

misconceptions surrounding the highly contentious and lucrative area

that is sports supplementation.

" We want members of Congress and their staffers to know that dietary

supplements are not steroids - nor are they substitutes or replacements

for hard work and determination, " said Steve Mister, president and chief

executive officer of CRN. " But along with rigorous training and healthy

diets, supplements are mainstream, safe and effective products that

athletes should feel comfortable and confident taking. "

Industry formed the Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus to

communicate such messages and this series of meetings is being held in

cooperation with the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and the

Natural Products Association (NPA).

" It's important that we educate individuals who come at this from all

sides, " said NPA executive director and chief executive officer

Seckman. " Congressional staffers are a key audience and play an

important role, through policy and legislation, in determining

availability and perception of dietary supplement products. "

Athletic concerns

Many elite athletes are wary of consuming dietary supplements because of

doping concerns and there have been high-profile deaths including a

professional baseball player who died in 2003 after consuming the herbal

weight loss product, ephedra.

Ephedra was banned by the Food and Drug Administration the following

year.

Still, athletes swear by them and sales are robust in a range of areas

from joint health, to muscle building and repair to energy enhancement.

Nutrition Business Journal puts the sports supplements market at $2.5

billion in 2007, eight percent more than 2006.

Industry feels more confident about its wares and has gone about

improving the quality of its products via the implementation of

regulations such as the years-in-the-making Good Manufacturing Practices

(GMPs), with which companies of more than 500 employees must comply by

June 26.

Smaller companies have a period of grace of another one or two years to

bring their own operations within GMP parameters.

The briefing

The briefing was delivered by Jay Hoffman, PhD, department chair and

professor of Health and Exercise Science at the College of New Jersey,

and Mark Bearden, strength and conditioning coach at Washington

University.

" Supplements work, " Bearden told the delegates, noting he was

frequently quizzed by his students about the efficaciousness of dietary

supplements to boost sports performance. " They are effective and

efficient, if you purchase from a company with a proven track record. "

Mister added: " The physical stress from intense exercise depletes

electrolytes and certain vitamins, which increases an athlete's nutrient

needs, making dietary supplements a vital component in an athlete's

training regimen. "

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