Researchers from global public health organization NSF International, Harvard Medical School and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands have published an article in Drug Testing and Analysis describing the public health implications of an emerging and potentially harmful substance found in a dietary supplement sold in stores and online.

The substance, called N,alpha-diethylphenylethylamine (N,a-DEPEA), has a structure similar to methamphetamine and was found in a consumer dietary supplement product called Craze (marketed by Driven Sports, Inc.). Additionally, the substance (N,a-DEPEA) is not disclosed on the label. The substance was found as part of a collaborative testing project conducted by scientists at NSF International, Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (NIPHE) in the Netherlands.

“Alarmingly we have found a drug in a mainstream sports supplement that has never been studied in humans,” says Dr. Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who has conducted extensive research on supplements. “The health risk of using supplements adulterated with a drug should not be underestimated.”

In separate testing, NSF International scientists also detected N,a-DEPEA in a different supplement called Detonate by Gaspari Nutrition. Regulators may want to consider taking action to warn consumers.

“We urge consumers to remain vigilant about the dietary supplement products they choose, especially since products including Craze and Detonate are available in stores and online, and encourage them to look for certification as a sign that the product has been tested and certified to be free of undeclared ingredients or harmful levels of contaminants,” said Ed Wyszumiala, general manager of NSF International’s Dietary Supplement Certification Program, which helps protect consumers by verifying what is on the dietary supplement label is in the package and that the product does not contain other undeclared ingredients or unsafe levels of contaminants.

This collaborative testing project was developed in response to several failed urine drug tests by professional athletes after taking an over-the-counter workout product called Craze marketed by Driven Sports Inc.  After extensive testing and a review of the product’s label at NSF International’s laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich., scientists at NSF International, HMS and NIPHE confirmed that the substanceN,N-diethylphenylethylamine was listed on the label but N,a-DEPEA, an emerging and potentially harmful designer stimulant, was found.  A review of this substance shows that N,a-DEPEA is likely less potent than methamphetamine but greater than ephedrine.

The compound that is listed on the label of Driven Sport’s Craze product, N,N-diethylphenylethylamine, is alleged to be a constituent of dendrobium orchid extract.  This claim made by Driven Sports cannot be confirmed. After an extensive search of the scientific literature, NSF International, HMS and NIPHE scientists did not find any evidence to support the claim that N,N-diethylphenylethylamine or any phenylethylamines (PEAs) are constituents of dendrobium orchid extract.

As mentioned earlier, the article outlining the results of this collaborative testing project is published in Drug Testing and Analysis by NSF International Senior Research Scientist John Travis, Harvard Medical School’s Dr. Pieter Cohen and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment’s Bastiaan Venhuis. The paper can be downloaded from Drug Testing and Analysis’ library.