Caution, Not Fearmongering Best Response to Supplement Report: Holly Edstein

Holly Edstein, New South Wales Institute of Sport’s (NSWIS) Head of Nutrition, described a Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) report – which found one in three sports supplements available in the Australian online marketplace are contaminated with a WADA prohibited substance – as a timely reminder for athletes to be vigilant about what they’re consuming.

The SIA research found:

• Of the 200 products tested, 35 percent – approximately one in three – was found to contain one or more WADA Prohibited Substances. This finding demonstrates the risk from sports supplements in Australia remains high.

• In this most recent survey, 57 percent of the positive products did not list the prohibited ingredients on their packaging or website, leaving athletes vulnerable to unknowingly breaching anti-doping rules. Products marketed as ‘pre-workouts,’ ‘fat burners’ and ‘muscle builders’ were the most likely to be contaminated.

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An athlete who tests positive to a banned substance, even if they’d unwittingly consumed it in a contaminated supplement, could face a four-year ban from competing in sport.

 However, Edstein, who was a nutritionist for the 2024 Australian Olympic Team, emphasised that there is no intent to ‘fearmonger’ around supplement use, but said the clear message from SIA’s research was athletes must know what they’re taking.

 “The key is not to fearmonger on supplement use, supplements do have a place in sport,” said Edstein. “The key message is for athletes to be diligent with what and how they use their supplements. That includes such things as ensuring any supplement they use is batch tested by a third party, such as HASTA or Informed Sport.

“If they’re ever in doubt they should ask their Sports Dietitian for advice. We’re always happy to help.”

 Edstein also advised athletes to download the free Sport Integrity app to find a list of over 12,000 batch tested supplements sold in Australia and to check if a supplement they already own has been batch tested.

“It is a useful app, definitely,” said Edstein. “I suggest athletes download the app and check supplements on there prior to purchasing. It’s also important to note that athletes should be recording and documenting their supplement use.”

 The revelation that 57 percent of the positive products tested in the research did not list the prohibited ingredients on their packaging or website was also flagged as a reason for concern because it meant athletes risk unknowingly breaching anti-doping rules.

Edstein said fat burners, pre-workouts and muscle builders were all products athletes ought to exercise caution before using. She advised ‘food’ was a proven and reliable source of providing the nutrition athletes needed to perform at a high level.

“’Food first’ is a massive approach by us as a nutrition team; get as much as you possibly can from your food first,” said Edstein. “That’s not to say, ‘food only.’ Go food first, and then use supplements to do exactly that – supplement.

“One point I would like for athletes to take from this is for them to reach out if they have any questions because we’re happy to answer.”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS