Four of the best CBD brands for athletes

While most consumers are careful about what they put in their bodies, sportspeople need to be more vigilant than most.

As more and more athletes turn to cannabidiol for its stress-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties, Cannabis Health has rounded up some of the best fully-certified, no-THC brands on the market.

Biosportart

Biosportart is a UK-based producer of next-generation, high-performance formulations for professional and amateur athletes.

In October 2020, the firm achieved Banned Substances Control Group (BSCG) Certified CBD status for its Biosportart 2000 milligram CBD Gel product — a high-concentration topical gel.

The BSCG programme checks CBD products for illegal levels of THC, as well as environmental contaminants including heavy metals, pesticides, solvents and microbiological agents.

Following the achievement, Biosportart CEO Richard O’Halloran said: “Many CBD brands claim to have legal, low, or even ‘zero’ levels of THC, but only a select few have submitted themselves to rigorous third party certification to prove it. We are extremely proud to be the first nature-identical CBD product to achieve BSCG’s prestigious certified CBD status.”

Pure Sport CBD

Pure Sport CBD was co-founded by professional rugby player and former Bedford Blues halfback Grayson Hart, after he experienced the anti-inflammatory benefits of CBD for himself following a knee injury.

Grayson has welcomed the new regulations which require CBD companies to apply for novel food status by March 31, 2021, believing his firm could be among the first to obtain approval due to being another of only four CBD brands in the world to be certified by the BSCG.

He said: “Our brand was founded upon providing the most transparent and certified CBD products available in order for athletes to be able to take it. We already have the most stringent lab reports you can find.”

FourfiveCBD

FourfiveCBD was set up by rugby players Dominic Day and George Kruis after discovering the benefits of CBD but being left unimpressed by the unregulated nature of the market.

Their aim is to build a brand that fellow athletes can trust; as such, they are keen to see the impact of the novel foods legislation. When the whispers of the regulations began in early 2020, the pair were quick to react, investing “a lot of time and money” to ensure their products had the evidence needed to pass the testing.

Dominic said: “If we can get to a point after this where all brands that are left on the market are safe, regulated products, it can only be beneficial for the industry.”

IMPACT

IMPACT CBD is another CBD brand that is fully compliant with the new UK regulations and manufactured according to ISO/GMP standards, making it suitable for both amateur and professional athletes. 

The firm’s ongoing product development is supported by its parent company, CiiTECH – a cannabis research firm.

Sara Flack, CiiTECH head of brand, said: “Our ISO/GMP certification is an important step towards protecting our customers, reinforcing that trust for the British customers.” 

IMPACT has worked very closely with athletes from high-impact sports such as rugby, football and wrestling to gain a deeper understanding of what the fitness community is looking for in terms of supplementation and wellbeing. 

With athletes subject to stringent monitoring regarding supplements, a crowded marketplace can make it hard to choose the best option; all four of the companies mentioned above are a good place to start.