International strength and conditioning coach Mike McGurn says supplements offer no positive benefit to amateurs but increase the risk of heart attacks.

McGurn has worked with both Armagh and Antrim as well as the Ireland International Rules team and reveals that he has never advocated the use of supplements to GAA players. Referring to Methylhexaneamine, the banned substance found in Brendan O'Sullivan's urine sample, the Fermanagh man told The Belfast Telegraph:

"It's just a way of manipulating your body by taking chemicals and that's probably where the crux is. The chemical that he took in that particular product, it wasn't natural, so there is an element there of [risk to] the kidneys, liver and blood. That's why WADA is so cognisant of it and are trying to ban it, because long-term your kidneys, your liver could all pack in.

"If you raise your heart rate not through natural means, say exercise or resistance training, but through a supplement, you create the environment for a heart attack. Your heart is still pumping a lot to get the blood around but the muscles haven't worked to get the heart pumping.

"Around 99.5% of the supplements bought and ingested don't work. The reason why it doesn't work is that supplements will only work when you have an environment in which you are getting nine hours of sleep a night, you are drinking four to five litres of water a day, you are eating five or six quality meals with all your vitamins and nutrients and you are possibly getting a bit of a rest in the afternoon.

"Then your body is conducive to taking supplements because it is a positive environment. If you are not doing all of that, no matter what you take, it won't compensate for not doing the other parts. It's just wasted."

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