PERSPECTIVE: REFLECTIONS OF INDUSTRY LEADERS
WE MUST DEMAND
TIGHTER REGULATIONS
ON SUPPLEMENTS
Adulterated supplements don’t only pose a safety risk, they
also taint the reputation of the fitness industry, argues exercise
physiologist Dr Bill Sukala.
hen I started in the fitness
industry in the United States
nearly 30 years ago, there were
minimal standards in place
governing personal training. In fact, to
become a trainer in those days, you just
memorised a personal training book, spat
back the answers on the certification test,
and, voila, you were a certified PT.
In my quest for knowledge beyond the
certification, I devoured every word in every
fitness magazine, voraciously studying
the ‘celebrity trainer’ exercise routines,
and digesting articles on nutrition and
dietary supplements (many of which were
conveniently advertised next to the articles).
Embarrassingly, I fell prey to what is now
known as ‘bro science.’
But then something happened. My
insatiable curiosity for responsible health
information fuelled my desire to study
nutrition and exercise physiology at San
Diego State University. I immersed myself
in the biochemistry and physiology of
the human body. I memorised complex
metabolic cycles and which enzymes
catalysed which reactions.
As my scientific knowledge grew, the lens
through which I viewed the health industry
began to change. I started seeing through
the smoke screen of marketing hyperbole,
deceptive half-truths, and word salad sleights
of hand used to sell things that either didn’t
work or people simply didn’t need.
I became a consumer health advocate
in 1996, giving talks at universities and
conferences to expose the pernicious
underbelly of the health ‘industry.’
To this day, I still speak out in
defence of science, truth, and integrity
through my writing, speaking, and media
communications work – and sometimes
W
to great effect. My 2010 article debunking
the Ab Circle Pro went viral in the fitness
industry and eventually contributed to the
company being fined A$37.3m and forced
out of business in the US.
An unhealthy health industry
I was recently interviewed by the Sydney
Morning Herald and ABC Radio regarding
the Shayna Jack Ligandrol scandal and the
problem of dietary supplements adulterated
with pharmaceutical grade drugs. In the wake
of the media scrum, many pundits wondered
how it was possible that supplements could
be adulterated or contaminated. After all,
‘they couldn’t sell them on store shelves if
they weren’t safe, right?’ Wrong.
First, under Australian law, dietary
supplements can be sold to consumers
without having to be proven safe, effective,
pure, or that the potency on the label is
what’s in the product. In fact, laboratory
testing on over-the-counter supplements
has uncovered products with contaminants,
steroids, pharmaceutical drugs, and, in some
cases, minimal to nil active ingredients.
Second, Australia assumes a risk-
based approach which essentially means
that no regulatory action is taken against a
manufacturer or a product unless there’s a
pile of dead bodies or a long list of people
needing liver transplants.
Third, in my observations, over 85%
of dietary supplements are sold using
vague or deceptive marketing jargon
such as ‘supports liver function’ or ‘helps
maintain heart function’. News flash: food
and exercise also support liver and heart
function.
And finally, the internet, fuelled by social
media hype, has given rise to the number of
tainted supplements on the market. Anyone
can make and sell supplements and there is
low oversight, so dodgy operators are currently
flourishing in the shadows. If anything goes
wrong, they can instantly vanish.
The bottom line
Supplements are just that, supplements,
not substitutes for hard work. As fitness
professionals, clients and members look to
you for safe guidance. Be responsible and
inform them that supplements are not always
a win-win and that there are risks. Do not
sell supplements as a side hustle, because
it’s possible that you could unwittingly sell
adulterated products.
I am not anti-supplement, but I am pro-
safety. Supplements need tighter regulation
because adulterated supplements not
only pose a safety risk, they also taint the
reputation of the fitness profession.
Dr Bill Sukala
Bill is an exercise physiologist, writer, presenter,
consultant, and media health spokesperson. He has
authored numerous consumer advocacy articles,
spoken at conferences across five continents,
and consulted to large multinational health
organisations.
NETWORK SPRING 2019 | 7