You need to know a few essential things before taking any sports supplements. These include determining which products are certified by the NSF, how to stay safe, and what to look for. This article will cover some of these topics.
Avoiding red flags
If you’re looking for a sports supplement, you’ll want to look for NSF certified supplements for sport. It indicates that the product has been tested and verified for safe levels of contaminants and banned substances. You’ll also want to be sure that the product matches its label.
A supplement certified by NSF will include ingredients listed on its label. Several of these ingredients may be harmful to your health.
Similarly, you’ll want to avoid taking any of the 300 or so banned substances that NSF has tested for. These include methylhexaneamine, a dimethylamylamine.
If you’re looking for a dietary supplement, you’ll likely come across many different products that are only sometimes reputable. To keep you from wasting money, read labels and check company websites.
There are also several third-party certifications available. These are intended to help you determine which products are safe to use. However, there is no guarantee that these certifications will provide you with information that will ensure the safety of your supplements.
Red flags may appear on the supplement label, including claims about performance, safety, and other health-related claims. It’s important to know which ones are a scam.
Safety
NSF is a major company that provides third-party testing services for sports supplements. The organization was founded in 1944 and had a solid reputation for testing dietary supplements for contaminants and banned substances.
NSF also provides a quality assurance program for manufacturers. They offer various services, such as GMP audits, label claim testing, and contaminant testing.
NSF’s Certified for Sport program is a great way to ensure that your supplements are safe and contaminant free. The program tests for narcotics, herbs, and other compounds that can lead to adverse reactions. It also tests for heavy metals, microbiological contaminants, and pesticides.
The NSF Certified for Sport logo assures that the product is safe and uncontaminated. This assurance is essential to professional athletes.
In addition to the certification program, NSF provides an app for consumers to check for NSF Certified for Sport products. The app features a barcode scanner and allows users to search for products by name and type. You can also compare two different products side by side with this app.
Free of substances on the World Anti-doping Agency list
If you’re a professional or recreational athlete, you will likely be exposed to intense physical stress daily. To help reduce the risk of adverse health effects, you should take supplements certified free of prohibited substances. For example, you can look for products certified by the NSF Certified for Sport(r) program.
The NSF Certified for Sport program was created in 2004 to help consumers find safe and tested supplements. It’s based on the NSF American National Standard for Dietary Supplements.
The NSF Certified for Sport product test includes a comprehensive lab testing process and facility inspections. All products are also evaluated for contaminants. Additionally, the ingredients listed on the label are scrutinized.
If a product is certified by the NSF Certified for Sport certification program, you can be confident that it’s free of banned substances. You can use the NSF Certified for Sport website or mobile application to search for a supplement’s Certified status.
The NSF Certified for Sport certification is widely adopted by sports organizations. Major professional leagues in the United States and Canada, such as the NFL and NHL, recommend only Certified for Sport products. Similarly, the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietician Association (CPSDA) and the Taylor Hooton Foundation recommend their products.
Another quality assurance program for sports nutrition is the Informed-Choice program. It’s an independent program that checks for substances on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List.
Improperly vs. impermissible nutritional supplements
If you are a student-athlete concerned about your dietary needs, your healthcare provider can help. But before you start taking any supplements, you should be aware that they can harm your health.
Several studies have shown that athletes, especially female athletes, are more likely to consume several dietary supplements. However, they may not be labeled accurately or contain ingredients not listed on the package. These unlabeled ingredients can be harmful to your health.
To protect your health and your team’s, you must learn about the use of dietary supplements. It would be best if you also spoke to your sports dietitian and Athletic Medicine staff before using any dietary supplement.
As with any health-related issue, you should consult a doctor, nurse, or another qualified professional before starting any new treatment. You can also use various Web-based safety resources to identify and avoid potentially harmful supplements.
Third-party testing programs have been introduced to regulate the purity and safety of dietary supplements. Using a reputable third-party testing organization can minimize the risk of mislabeled ingredients and unsafe dosages.
