Research summary · Anti-doping and safety
Undeclared prohibited substances in sport supplements
A review synthesizes laboratory studies of prohibited or undeclared pharmacological substances in commercial sport supplements and the methods used to detect them.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Systematic review
- Journal
- Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
- Population / context
- Athletes and sport-supplement consumers
What the publication reports
Forty-four studies were included from 12,031 screened records. Across heterogeneous product samples, the authors estimated roughly 9–15% contamination, most often in pre-workout, weight-loss and muscle-building products; stimulants and anabolic agents were prominent findings.
Limits and interpretation
Products, countries, sampling strategies, dates and laboratory thresholds differed substantially, so the range is not a current market-wide prevalence estimate. Detection in sampled products does not identify every brand or batch at risk.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Systematic review of undeclared prohibited substances and pharmacological adulterants in dietary supplements: prevalence, detection, and risks in sport
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 41908212DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2026.1740663Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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