INFORMED News
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The Science Behind Informed Sport
Informed Sport is the global gold standard for third-party banned substance testing. Every batch of every certified product is tested prior to being sold to give confidence to consumers and supplement brands alike that their products have been tested to the highest of standards.
Supplement Testing Labs
Informed Sport certified sports supplements are tested in our world-renowned sports doping control and research supplement testing labs located in Fordham and Lexington, KY. LGC, the company behind Informed Sport, has over 55 years of experience in regulatory analysis including nearly 20 years of testing supplements and ingredients on behalf of reputable manufacturers and suppliers.
LGC labs are constantly reviewing and developing testing methodology to ensure new and emerging threats within the supplements industry are addressed. This often includes the surveillance and investigation of suspicious compounds before their prohibited status is confirmed by the wider anti-doping community. An example of this would be the evolution of methylhexanamine and phenethylamine analogues over the last 8-10 years.
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Testing Accreditation
Sports supplement testing is done using ISO 17025 accredited methods, a globally recognised standard relating to laboratories and test procedures that LGC has held since 2003. This accreditation shows that test procedures have been independently assessed/evaluated objectively by third-party industry experts. Within the UK (LGC Fordham), accreditation is granted by UKAS (the United Kingdom Accreditation Service - laboratory number 1187). Within the US (LGC Lexington), accreditation is granted by A2LA (the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation - certificate no. 3244.01).
Supplement Screening
The Informed Sport supplement screen tests for over 255 compounds that are banned for use in sport or are considered a risk to contamination. These compounds include those prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), as well as other sporting organisations such as the NFL and UFC.
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Research has shown that for certain compounds, consuming as little as microgram (10-6) quantities of a prohibited substance, could cause a doping violation. These levels will vary based on drug compound and class. However, such knowledge and data further emphasises the requirement for testing procedures to be fit for purpose.
LGC’s method development and validation analysis to ISO/IEC 17025 standards establishes detection capabilities in the low to mid ng/g (part per billion) region for most compounds included with its screening programmes. This provides athletes and supplement brands with the assurance that products have been tested to some of the most stringent standards possible with respect to banned substances.
