MSM added to sports nutrition safe list in the UK

16-Apr-2014 - Last updated on 17-Apr-2014 at 10:51 GMT

“This elevates the ingredient to the ‘big leagues’..."

A form of joint health and sports nutrient, MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) has made it onto the approved list of UK third party testing service Informed-Sport, a “big league” promotion according to an American supplier.

LGC-owned HFL Sport Science’s Informed-Sport is one of the most comprehensive sports supplement-testing programmes in the world and its work is supported by the likes of UK Athletics and UK Anti-Doping (UKAD).

It tested Washington State-based Bergstrom Nutrition’s OptiMSM and found it to be free of banned substances and so added it to its positive list. Presence on the list does not guarantee that any product is 100% free of contamination, but bodies such as UK Athletics recommend that their athletes can use certified products knowing contamination risks are maximally minimised.

“This elevates the ingredient to the ‘big leagues’ as a clear choice for athletic performance and sports nutrition products,” said Heidi Rosenberg, spokesperson for Bergstrom and Gee Lawson, its UK-based European supplier.

Informed-Sport tests for 146 substances that are appear on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibited list.

“Achieving the Informed-Sport designation supports our commitment to the sports segment,” said Jane Duvauchelle, sales director at Bergstrom Nutrition. “The designation provides our brand partners with additional assurance that OptiMSM is of the utmost purity, and a safe choice for competitive athletes.”

OptiMSM has Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status in the US, as recognised by the Food and Drink Administration (FDA) in food supplements, nutrition bars, beverages and others.

Informed-Sport recently linked up with online supplement retailer Trusted Pro Supplements to showcase those products that have passed through the stringent quality control process.

Trusted Pro Supplements chief and founder, Jamie Ashdown, said of that partnership: “Almost on a weekly basis we are reading about elite athletes who blame supplements for failed drugs tests – Asafa Powell, Marin Cilic, Jesse Ryder – but I think the people who need the most information are grass-roots athletes, people who may be tested for drugs and may not have access to a sports scientist or an advisor to help guide them.”