The NCAA is cracking down on the use of supplements and other
performance enhancing measures among its college level players.
Nearly everyone wants a body like Channing Tatum or Julianne Hough, and taking shortcuts to get there seems to be a trend that will continue.
The NCAA currently has restrictions and laws for college athletes that lead them away from these shortcuts. Beyond steroids, the NCAA also restricts legal supplements, including a variety of proteins.
But that raises the question: Should these workout supplements be allowed in college athletics?
One legal supplement in the NCAA is creatine, a protein compound produced by the body. It is said to provide an energy boost during a workout and pull fluid to the muscles, increasing their size. Creatine is a good supplement, but if used improperly can also harm the liver.
While creatine is allowed, the NCAA bans a product like Muscle Milk because it contains a hormone called IGF-1. However, Muscle Milk does not show up on a drug test because it contains so little of the hormone. Technically, the only way one could fail a drug test for using Muscle Milk would be to go to the test carrying the drink. Additionally, Muscle milk is harmless to the body, unlike creatine.
Greg Bishop of the Seattle Times reports about Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck reviewing a supplement he recently bought at a health store.
“What’s bitter orange?” he asked, reading off the label.
“I don’t know,” said guard Chris Gray, the Seahawks’ player representative. “But I think it’s a banned substance.”
Hasselbeck panicked and called the league to confirm that bitter orange was on the banned-substance list.
A drink he purchased at a health market might cost him four games in suspensions, along with four paychecks. But as it turns out, bitter orange also can be found in orange juice. If Hasselbeck had consumed 20 glasses on the day of his test, he would have tested positive for bitter orange.
Similar to this scenario is the banning of caffeine. College athletes are not supposed to use caffeine because it is a stimulant. However, the dose must be high enough to yield a positive.
Marijuana is also banned in the NCAA, but test results must be over a certain level for them to take action. If a college athlete tested under the limit, they would still be allowed to compete without being penalized. In the same sense, if an athlete tested positive for caffeine or bitter orange, they would be penalized and possibly suspended.
Those regulations stand even though the substances are almost harmless and do not affect the brain like marijuana, according to the NCAA banned drug list.
It is arguable whether these supplements should be legal for college athletes. And for years it will surely be debated as players and coaches strive to reach an agreement.
