Supplements Suspect in Sick Cops

Three Maryland state troopers who each used controversial nutritional supplements while trying out for an elite spot on a tactical assault team were hospitalized last week with kidney problems, the state police reported Monday.

Two of the men used creatine, a supplement that gained popularity after baseball slugger Mark McGwire acknowledged that he used it in 1998, the year he hit a record 70 home runs. The third took a substance containing ephedra, which was used by three football players who died this year. Both supplements are used as performance enhancers by athletes and others.

“When you take something like a nutritional supplement, there’s got to be some payback,” said Dr. Phillip Phillips, the medical director for the Maryland State Police, who is investigating the possible role of the supplements in the incident. “I don’t think they’re good for you.”

The officers--ages 27, 28 and 29--had completed their second day of training at the three-week SWAT school when they fell ill last Tuesday.

One by one, each ended up hospitalized with renal dysfunction. One trooper was released Sunday, but two others remained hospitalized Monday in guarded condition. Police would not release their names.

“We’ve been vigorously investigating, trying to see if there is one common thread we can hang our hats on,” Phillips said. “We’ve never had this before. The training hasn’t changed at all.”

To his surprise, he discovered that the three troopers had used nutritional supplements to prepare for the training session. “It’s never recommended or condoned,” Phillips said.

Eight officers took part in the boot camp. One dropped out last Monday, when the troopers were drilled in the essentials of hydration.

At the end of the second day, after calisthenics, running and rappelling from a building, one of the recruits showed some symptoms of dehydration. As he was being admitted to the hospital, a second officer realized he was having problems as well.

By then, SWAT team Capt. James Ballard and other officials began calling the rest of the recruits and found another who also was ill.

With three of seven recruits ill, the police suspended the SWAT school.

“I wasn’t really aware of the nutritional supplements. This wasn’t an issue in the past,” Ballard said Monday. “We realize now this is a major concern.”

Some medical experts have questioned the safety of such supplements as ephedra and creatine, which are not regulated by the federal government.

The Food and Drug Administration, which has raised questions about ephedra, has so far not restricted its use.

The National Football League added ephedra to its list of banned substances last week. The ban prohibits players from using, endorsing or distributing any products containing ephedra.