SO, WHY DOES A FIT, YOUNG PREMIER LEAGUE STAR NEED TO TAKE FAT-BURNING PILLS?
Sportsmail asks Michele VeRRoken, former anti-doping director at Uk Sport and director of Sporting integrity, the key questions about fat-burning supplements
Why would a footballer take these supplements?
The reasons why anybody takes anything may not be exclusive to Premier League footballers. People look at these types of products when they may be struggling slightly with their weight, they may specifically want to cut weight or, in some sports, make weight. Elite sportspeople are almost like guinea pigs for some of the weird and wonderful things a sports scientist might come forward with, including losing body weight or body mass to optimise performance. We’ve seen it happening in cycling and long-distance running, so why wouldn’t it work for footballers? But it isn’t a mainstream or safe way of losing weight.
What banned substances can they contain?
What we have seen identified in some of these fat burners are mild-to-moderate stimulant-type drugs such as ephedrine. We have also seen DMAA, methylhexanamine which are prohibited substances in sport — similar products that were linked to the death of a runner at the London Marathon in 2012. It’s more likely that it’s going to be some sort of stimulant because what fat burners try to do is increase metabolism by increasing the heart rate.
How could they enhance performance?
Any stimulant substance is likely to give you the feeling of extra energy. If you are fatigued and/or slightly overweight you could get tired earlier, so a stimulant could make you feel less tired so you last 90 minutes at a certain level of output.
This stimulant group I have mentioned is banned only in competition — which is why it is vital we look at each case on its merits. If this has been taken out of competition and appears in competition, it is an interesting one for the hearing panel to decide whether there was an intent to improve performance.
It is an unfortunate shortcoming of the anti-doping system that we give athletes in any sport this potential tripwire. How can you know the clearance times of these products from your body? Everyone metabolises at different rates.
This is the risk taken by anyone who would take supplements and I would urge any athlete to consider an alternative before using them.
How do these supplements work?
They increase the heart rate and the overall metabolism so your body is working at a slightly higher rate and the theory is that you start to see the fat broken down. That’s not very good for you if you are a footballer running 90 minutes because if your heart is working harder, it could be quite serious if it is put under too much stress.
Another potential prohibited substance that may be present would be something like a diuretic.
The body has a high percentage of water so if you have a diuretic substance, it will remove water from the body and can reduce weight quite significantly.
This can also be dangerous for an elite athlete as the body needs optimum hydration to respond.