Analysis of supplements available to UK consumers purporting to contain Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators

Analysis of supplements available to UK consumers purporting to contain Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators / Amy E. Leaney, Paul Beck, Simon Biddle, Paul Brown, Philip B. Grace, Simon Hudson, Deborah H. Mawson. - (Drug Testing and Analysis (2020) 3 August)

  • PMID: 32748554
  • DOI: 10.1002/dta.2908

Abstract

Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are compounds with specific androgenic properties investigated for treatment of conditions such as muscle wasting diseases. The reported androgenic properties have resulted in their use by athletes, and consequently they have been on the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list for more than a decade. SARMs have been investigated by pharmaceutical companies as potential drug candidates, but to date no SARM has demonstrated sufficient safety and efficacy to gain clinical approval by either the European Medicines Agency or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Despite their lack of safety approval, SARMs are often illegally marketed as dietary supplements, available for consumers to buy online. In this study, a range of supplement products marketed as SARMs were purchased and analysed using high resolution accurate mass - mass spectrometry to evaluate the accuracy of product claims and content labelling. This study found discrepancies ranging from a supplement in which no active ingredients were found, to supplements containing undeclared prohibited analytes. Where SARMs were detected, discrepancies were observed between the concentrations measured and those detailed on the product packaging. The outcome of this experiment highlights the high risk of such supplement products to consumers. The inaccurate product claims give rise to uncertainty over both the dose taken and the identity of any of these unapproved drugs. Even for supplements where product labelling is correct, the lack of complete toxicity data, especially for combinations of SARMs taken as stacks, means that the safety of these supplements is unknown.

Parameters

Science
Research / Study
Date
3 August 2020
People
Beck, Paul
Biddle, Simon
Brown, Paul
Grace, Philip B.
Hudson, Simon
Leaney, Amy E.
Mawson, Deborah H.
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Doping classes
S1. Anabolic Agents
Substances
Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs)
Medical terms
Health / performance effects
Various
Supplements
Document category
Abstract
Date generated
7 September 2020
Date of last modification
29 September 2020
Category
  • Legal Source
  • Education
  • Science
  • Statistics
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  • Country
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  • ADRV
  • Legal Terms
  • Sport/IFs
  • Other organisations
  • Laboratories
  • Analytical aspects
  • Doping classes
  • Substances
  • Medical terms
  • Various
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  • Document category
  • Document type
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Origin