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True StrengthA prevention program for fitness athletes in the Netherlands

Hans Wassink

International Conference on Doping and Public HealthJune 7-9th 2017, Oslo

Content• A long story short• A public health problem• Goals & Strategies• Campaigns and interventions• Next steps

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• Founded in 1989• Oldest NADO• 95% focused on organized sports• Since start: bodybuilders are target group• Almost 28 years of experience

Dopingauthority

• 2,5 million fitness athletes • Dutch population = 17 million• 2.000 fitness centers• Commercially organized• Mean: 13 employees (mostly instructors)

Fitness in the Netherlands

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It’s a public health problem• Doping use is high: 8,2% (TNO, 2009)• Lot’s of different substances• Almost always (serious) side effects• Bad advice by dealers or peers• No medical guidance• Lot’s of counterfeit products (> 50%)

Goals & Strategies• Prevent the use of doping:

o Information about health riskso Information about clean fitness (training, nutrition, etc.)o Promote True Strength

• Reduce the harm of doping to health:o Information about reducing health risks during useo Direct to Anabolics Clinic for specialized medical screening

(no prescription nor systematic guidance)

But…….

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Ambition versus Capacity• Target group 2,5 million • 1 fte prevention worker• Limited budget• Few scientific data• Detection doping trade has low priority

Model NL Active(fitness branch organization)

Owner

Fitness instructor

Fitness athletes

low risk at risk user

Fitness instructor(in education)

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Body, sport & substances (1994-2004) • 1994: First study among fitness athletes (16-25 years)• Doping use is a health problem• Information & Education• Strategy: side effects of doping + healthy alternatives• Plus: medical guidance • Book series (training, nutrition, weight loss, supplements)• Articles Sport & Fitness

True Strength (2005-2007)• Website• Articles in BB-magazines• Education fitness instructors• Outreaches• Book True Strength• True Strength posters, leaflets, containers, T-shirts

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Message in a bottle• Not anti-doping, but pro-clean fitness : True Strength

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Fitness instructors in education

True Strength (2008-2014)• Website• Articles in BB-magazines• Education fitness instructors• Outreaches• Book True Strength (2nd edition)• New edition posters, containers, T-shirts• Video True Strength fitness centers• Video series ‘training’ & ‘expert opinion’

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Ambassadors: Clean Hunks• Role models• Great results without doping• Showing and expressing the values of ‘True Strength’• Should inspire youngsters• Are active on social media• Join the Clean Hunks

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True Strength (2015-now)• Website• Articles in BB-magazines• Education fitness instructors• Outreaches (at BB and fitness contests)• Book True Strength (soon 3th edition)• Again new edition ads, containers, T-shirts• Book Doping: the sober facts• Documentary Bigger than Big

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Harm reduction• Website• Articles BB-magazines• Book: Doping: the sober facts• Outreaches (at BB and fitness contests)• Documentary Bigger than Big: the evolution of

bodybuilding?• Anabolics Clinic

Motive Bigger than Big• There are counter movements in bodybuilding:

o No Ms. Olympia since 2015o IFBB wants a natural bodybuilding categoryo Old school bodybuilders are complainingo Events are changing; more classes and fitness is added

• Facilitate and strengthen these changes

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Follow-up• Premiere video + Expert meeting (March 2016)• Dissemination video to fitness public• Educate fitness instructors• More responsibility towards beginners• Helping to promote natural contests

Anabolics Clinic

dr. Pim de Ronde

Endocrinologist

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Partnerships• NL Active (Dutch branch organization – 890 centers)• Europe Active (European branch organization; project FAIR)• CIOS & ROC (vocational education in sports; fitness)• Private fitness instructor education• Healthcare Inspectorate• Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority• Anabolics Clinic• ……

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Withdrawn from the market• 2003 Efedra• 2012 DMAA• 2013 Iomax• 2013 Dexaprine• 2014 Nor-DMAA• 2015 Noxpump (Dorian Yates)

Blackbombs (Dorian Yates) Lipo-bolic (Revolutions)

• 2017 Wispy Life, Wispy Tea, EmteaIrem Naturel and Niva Detox

Problem

• High prevalence of use in fitness (60%)

• Doping risk of supplements seems to increase

• Little knowledge among fitness athletes and instructors

• Supplement market is enormous (> 3.000 ingredients)

and divers…..it’s a jungle !

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Field of supplements is a jungle

Goal• More responsable supplement use:

• Awareness that supplements can have health risks

• More knowledge about supplements

• No use of supplements with doping

• No use of ineffective supplements

• Prevention of pill mentality

• Show what could be effective and how

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Qualifications

• Works

• Insufficient evidence

• Doesn’t work

• Doping

• Dangerous

• Dubious

Effectiveness

Peculiarities

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Future directions• More focus on ‘selling’ our products• More awareness campaigns• Co-operation with health sector• Co-operation with other partners > expand action radius

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Thanks for having me!

h.wassink@dopingautoriteit.nl