# What supplements will be banned?



## verve (Sep 10, 2003)

I have been reading about the fact that different supplements will soon be banned because of yet another stupid EU regulation. I was just wondering...

1. What supplements will be banned?

2. When will it come into effect?

3. Is it true it is basically being done so the big pharmaceutical companies can make even more money and the smaller companies will end up going out of business?


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## BSF James (Sep 29, 2003)

vervefan said:


> I have been reading about the fact that different supplements will soon be banned because of yet another stupid EU regulation. I was just wondering...
> 
> 1. What supplements will be banned?
> 
> ...


1. High dosage vitamins and minerals - so many mrps may need reformulating depending on how strict they go on that. You'd also not be able to buy things like mega-dose vit c tabs. HMB is already gone. 'Herbs' like tribulus, sida c, etc.. may be at risk - if not from the EU then from the MHRA and other medicinal governing bodies. Creatine should be safe, but if the directive goes thru then manufactuerers will only be allowed to recommend doses of 2.5g a day on the label. I've heard that BCAAs may be at risk also.

2. It may not. It may get thrown out or heavily amended. If it does go through then I have no idea.

3. There is a conspiracy theory which I think may have some grounds, that says the pharmaceutical industry are putting pressure on the supplement industry thru whatever means they can to a) increase their own profit and B) gain back market share lost to supplements over the past 10 years. Supplements are now often so effective (not just for bodybuilding, but for the immune system, weight control, etc..) that people use them instead of drugs - which is of obvious concern to the pharmacuetical giants.

I'm not sure if the EU directive is directly connected, but things like HMB being banned and the potential risk to herbal products is down to the pharmaceuticals. HMB for instance has been patented as a drug (presumably to treat muscle wasting diseases etc..) so is no longer legal for manufacture by supplement companies.

The reason for herbal products perhaps being banned in the UK is due to the MHRA (Medicines and Health Regulatory Authority) trying to get them classified as Medicines rather than supplements which again means that only licensed pharmacies would be able to sell them. They've already made it illegal to sell tribulus products named as anything other than tribulus - which is why all the tribulus products are now changing names e.g. San Tribuvar, Maximuscle Testo kick, USN trianabol etc.. are now all just called <brand> tribulus terristris. If you ask me this was the most pointless and petty exercise ever. Dozens of products have had to be renamed and relabelled for no obvious reason other than it seems to be all the MHRA could do at the time to make a stand against their manufacture. They are hoping for new powers in the next month or two or so the lady there told me when I last had to speak to her.

Basically the MHRA want anything that can cause a change in the body (burn fat, increase muscle) to be classed as a medicine so that only medical companies can sell it. Luckily they cant touch anything already classified as food - protein, mrps, creatine, bars, weight gainers etc....

Its a sorry state of affairs. I think that the supplement industry will just continue to evolve anyway just like it has done with the loss of ephedra, prohormones, advertising rights etc.. Dont forget 15 years ago egg protein and dessicated liver tablets were the flagship products. Our industry constantly evolves to find new things and I think the EU and the MHRA will struggle to ever completely stop that.


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## DB (Oct 31, 2003)

yeah i heard it about high dose vitamins..which is bollox people are just gonna double up on lower dose ones what a waste of time


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## BSF James (Sep 29, 2003)

DB said:


> yeah i heard it about high dose vitamins..which is bollox people are just gonna double up on lower dose ones what a waste of time


Exactly - what a bloody stupid idea. If they limit vitamin c to 100mg tabs, people who want 500mg will just take five of the smaller ones instead. Crazy... Ultimately the customer suffers most because 5 x 100mg tabs cost more than 1 x 500mg tab.


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## the_gre8t_1ne (Apr 18, 2005)

Man, i better stock up on vits now!!


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