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INFORMED-SPORT

Testing Laboratories - Requirements

Laboratories that offer support to the INFORMED-SPORT Standard must be accredited to ISO 17025 against the specification detailed below in each of the relevant supplement formulations (tablets, bars, powders, gels, liquids, etc).

This ensures that the laboratory is capable of consistently analysing products to the required specification, with robust methods that work to the required detection limits every time. All testing for the INFORMED-SPORT programme is carried out by HFL Sport Science in the UK.

Test Substances (see table below)

All test substances are included on the WADA Prohibited List. Substances may be included in the testing specification for a number of reasons, including:

  • They are/were sold as a supplement e.g. androstenedione, DHEA
  • They have been reported as a contaminant in a supplement e.g. 19-nor-androstenedione, stanozolol
  • They have been the subject of widespread publicity linking them with adverse analytical findings and/or supplements e.g. THG, nandrolone
  • They are widely available as a recreational drug and are potentially at a higher risk of being a contaminant e.g. cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy)
  • They have been reported as an adverse analytical finding e.g. clenbuterol, strychnine, salbutamol, terbutaline
  • They are chemically closely related to any of the substances above e.g. isomers, parent drugs, etc.

The range of substances included is reviewed regularly against current knowledge and intelligence, and updated as necessary.

 


Substance
Detection Level
Nandrolone 10 ng/g
19-nor-4-androstene-3,17-dione and/or 19-nor-5(10)-androstene-3,17-dione and/or 19-nor-5(6)-androstene-3,17-dione 10 ng/g
19-nor-4-androstene-3b,17b-diol 10 ng/g
19-nor-5(10)-androstene-3b,17b-diol 10 ng/g
Testosterone 10 ng/g
Gestrinone 10 ng/g
Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) 10 ng/g
Stanozolol 10 ng/g
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) 10 ng/g
5a-androstane-3b,17b-diol 10 ng/g
5a-androstane-3,17-dione 10 ng/g
1,4-androstadiene-3,17-dione 10 ng/g
5(6)-androstene-3b,17b-diol 10 ng/g
4-androstene-3b,17b-diol 10 ng/g
4-androstene-3,17-dione and/or 5(6)-androstene-3,17-dione 10 or 50 ng/g*
Salbutamol 100 ng/g
Terbutaline 100 ng/g
Clenbuterol 100 ng/g
Ephedrine 100 ng/g
Cathine (norpseudoephedrine) 100 ng/g
Methylephedrine 100 ng/g
Amphetamine 100 ng/g
MDMA (ecstasy) 100 ng/g
Strychnine 100 ng/g
Cocaine 100 ng/g

* depending on the product origin

The INFORMED-SPORT programme uses HFL Sport Science to carry out its supplement analysis. HFL Sports Science's standard supplement screening service tests supplements and/or supplement ingredients for a range of anabolic steroids and stimulants considered prohibited in sport. HFL Sport Science does not routinely test supplements or supplement ingredients for the presence of IGF-1 as peer-reviewed scientific publications indicate that IGF-1 is not absorbed via the gut following oral ingestion.

References:

1) H Kuipers et al. Effects of Oral Bovine Colostrum Supplementation on Serum Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Levels. Nutrition 2002, 18:566-567

2) A Mero et al. IGF-1, IgA and IgG responses to bovine colostrum supplementation during training. J. Appl. Physiol 2002, 93:732-9

The test sensitivity for all anabolic steroids in the standard HFL supplement screen is 10 ng/g (10 ppb). Androstenedione is known to be naturally present in milk and milk-derived products. The concentrations of androstenedione found in milk are variable, but are typically in the low ng/ml (low ppb) region. One reference (Gaiani et al, 1984) discussed values of around 3.5 ng/ml. For this reason, the presence of androstenedione in milk or milk-derived supplement products and/or supplement ingredients analysed using the standard HFL supplement screen is not reported unless the concentration exceeds 50 ng/g (50 ppb).

Reference: R Gaiani et al. Androstenedione and Testosterone Concentrations in Plasma and Milk of the Cow throughout Pregnancy. J. Reprod. Fert. 1984, 70: 55-59

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