CRN Supports Work of Study in Uncovering SARMs

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Responding to a recently published study¹ on SARMs-containing supplements sold via the internet, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, DC) issued a statement supporting the researchers’ work.

Though FDA considers them unapproved drugs, SARMs, or selective androgen receptor modulators, appear in some sports-nutrition products purportedly to improve physical appearance and performance. However, incidents of liver toxicity have occurred in some users who’ve taken SARMs, and the ingredients may increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. In the study, published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the researchers used chemical analyses to demonstrate that of 44 products claiming to contain SARMs and sold online, only slightly more than half contained the ingredient and many more were inaccurately labeled.

“We appreciate the work of the study authors in uncovering incidents of companies who put consumers at risk by illegally marketing products that contain SARMs,” said Duffy MacKay, ND, senior vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, CRN. “As the study authors have indicated, and as FDA has previously warned, products containing SARMs are not dietary supplements; they are adulterated, illegal, unapproved drugs.”

MacKay also reiterated CRN’s commitment to educating consumers about the danger “these intolerable, fly-by-night companies” pose by selling SARMs-containing products to the broad online public. “Further,” he added, “we will continue to remind the dietary supplement industry that SARMs should not be used in their products.” This puts the organization in line with the US Anti-Doping Agency and other dietary supplement trade associations in encouraging strict FDA enforcement against products containing SARMs and the companies that market them.

“It is important for consumers to understand that products containing SARMs are not dietary supplements and can be life threatening,” MacKay concluded. “Sports nutrition dietary supplements can play a beneficial role, and we strongly urge consumers to discuss their usage of these supplements with their doctors, healthcare practitioners, coaches or trainers in order to identify the best products to fit their needs.”

References:

1. Van Wagoner RM et al., “Chemical composition and labeling of substances marketed as selective androgen receptor modulators and sold via the internet.” Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 318, no. 20 (2017): 2004-2010