Dirty Pills Prohibited Substances as Contaminants or Illegal Additions to Food Supplements and the Associated Health Risks

Nutritional supplements are one of the main sources of doping substances. Counterfeit preparations often contain stimulants, anabolic-androgenic steroids, beta 2 agonists, or peptide hormones. These substances are mostly not named on the list of ingredients, but the products are promoted by aggressive advertising, with reference to their effects - especially fat loss, boosting effects for training, and muscle build-up. One of the reasons for the expansion of the market for counterfeit dietary supplements is the easy availability of doping substances. The health risks associated with consuming such preparations are unpredictable. Fundamentally, athletes should take dietary supplements only if their consumption is indicated from a nutritional perspective, and the recommendation is to avoid preparations promoted by extreme advertising and from unsafe sources. The Cologne List is a database that includes nutritional supplements with a low risk of doping, which have been checked for anabolic steroids and stimulants and have tested negative