ATHLETE ALERT: PROHIBITED SUBSTANCE FOUND IN “KICK PRE-WORKOUT”

ATHLETE ALERT - PROHIBITED SUBSTANCE FOUND IN “KICK PRE-WORKOUT” SUPPLEMENT

Earlier this year, a New Zealand athlete was given a four-month ban from sport for an anti-doping rule violation after returning a positive test.

The Sports Tribunal heard that the positive test followed the athlete consuming the supplement “Kick Pre-workout”.

Drug Free Sport New Zealand has investigated this issue and now makes the following statements:

We purchased a tub of Kick Pre-workout and had it independently tested.

The test confirmed the presence of 1,4 dimethylpentylamine, a substance prohibited in sport under class S6b Specified Stimulants of the Prohibited List.

This is the same substance that the athlete tested positive for and resulted in his ban.

Kick Pre-workout is currently advertised as containing DHMA (2-amino-6-methylheptane), also known as DMHA, both on the front label and in the ingredients list.

Commonly known as Octodrine, this is also a prohibited substance under class S6b Specified Stimulants of the Prohibited List.

If an athlete is found to have taken 1,4 dimethylpentylamine or DHMA (2-amino-6-methylheptane), deliberately or in error, they face a significant risk of an anti-doping rule violation and potential ban from sport.

This case highlights the risk to athletes who take supplements. There are a number of things athletes can do to prevent a positive test. We recommend athletes consider the following advice:

• No supplement is 100% safe, but batch tested products are the lowest risk. Be aware that batch tested supplements do not provide a guarantee against testing positive.

• Many supplements have inaccurate labelling. Ingredients can have more than 20 different names and not every version is listed on the label. Labels may also fail to list every ingredient or refer to “proprietary blends” where ingredients are not specified.

• Supplements can be accidentally cross-contaminated by other substances made in the same factory, or can be deliberately spiked by the company to ensure users get results.

• Many studies suggest there is little evidence that athletes need supplements given a well-balanced diet.
Notes:

1,4 dimethylpentylamine and DMHA are taken as a stimulant and to promote weight loss.

Supplements containing these or other similar substances also often claim they “provide energy, focus and act as a thermogenic fat-burner”.