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Originally published October 11, 2005 at 12:00 AM | Page modified October 11, 2005 at 1:56 PM

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Pills pack $1 million guarantee

How about a million-dollar guarantee? That's what USANA Health Sciences offers any Canadian pro athlete who uses its nutritional supplements...

By Cathy Henkel

Seattle Times sports editor

How about a million-dollar guarantee?

That's what USANA Health Sciences offers any Canadian pro athlete who uses its nutritional supplements and comes up with a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs.

And it's soon to be offered to American pro athletes as well, says Conley Pells, a USANA associate in Kent who operates the Web site, www.betterhealth2day.usana.com.

USANA's products are manufactured at pharmaceutical standards, Pells said. Six of their supplements are listed in the Physicians Desk Reference.

"There's no guesswork with our products," Pells said. "We guarantee that it's up to pharmaceutical-grade standards, which mean that what you say is in the bottle is in the bottle in the exact amounts that you say, in the potency you say, is guaranteed from pill to pill, and it has to get into your blood within 18 minutes."

The company's million-dollar offer to Canadian athletes has been out for nearly two years, and it hasn't had to pay anybody off.

"The offer ... provides Olympic, professional and world-class amateur athletes peace of mind when competing," said USANA's Dr. Tim Wood. "USANA believes strongly in drug-free sports, and has taken these concerns to heart and practice."

Several of the USANA supplements are also listed on www.consumerlabs.com, an independent lab, as having been tested and found free of 75 banned substances including stimulants, narcotics, anabolic agents, diuretics, masking agents and beta-blockers.

The Utah-based company, which is publicly traded under the symbol USNA, is talking to the Mariners about providing supplements for the team with a blanket million-dollar guarantee. The Seattle club, stung with the most positive drug tests of any team in baseball, has recently completed an internal investigation into steroids and supplements, how their players learned about them and what they're taking.

"We don't pay anyone to endorse our products," Pells said. "Once someone takes them, they'll know the difference."

Cathy Henkel: 206-464-8278 or chenkel@seattletimes.com

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