An Australian study has discovered athletes buying sports supplements online have a one in three chance of their purchase containing a prohibited doping substance.

A joint survey conducted by Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) and Human and Supplement Testing Australia (HASTA) analysed 201 common athletic supplements purchased on the Australian online marketplace.

The study found 70 of these supplements, or 35 per cent, contained substances prohibited under the World Anti-Doping Code.

Sport Integrity co-author Dr Naomi Speers says athletes must understand that using supplements can pose risks to their health.

“These types of products are common and widely available, which might give athletes the false impression that they are safe to use – but with issues like cross-contamination and undeclared ingredients in the products, the risk of accidentally doping is high,” Dr Speers says.

Of the positive supplements in the joint survey, 57 per cent did not disclose the inclusion of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned products on either their label or website.

“This study shows us that products marketing for fat burning, muscle building, and pre-workouts are particularly risky.”

Drugs must meet two of three specified criteria to be added to the WADA prohibited list: the substance has the potential to enhance performance, the substance represents a health risk to the athlete, and the substance violates the spirit of the sport.

A report by Sport Integrity noted between 2016 and 2019, a third of anti-doping rule violations were attributed to the athlete consuming sports supplements.

The World Anti-Doping Agency states that it is not necessary that intent or knowing use be demonstrated in order to establish a violation. This means athletes can face penalties for unwittingly consuming doping substances companies have included in their supplements.

Dr Speers says the Sport Integrity app is making a difference in how Australian athletes navigate sporting supplements.

“The number of positive doping cases involving supplements has dropped significantly since the introduction of the Sports Integrity app and our education messaging,” she says.

“We urge people to check all their supplements before consumption.”

Australians are encouraged to download the Sport Integrity app and check their supplements against more than 12,000 batch tested products listed.