Diet & Fitness

At the time of this writing, there are no well-known or consistently documented side effects caused this supplement. Some health experts express concern, and some research supports, that this supplement may be contaminated with infectious particles called prions, which cause chronic wasting disease in deer and elk. Prions, which are not broken down by high heat or other forms of processing, have been implicated in causing mad cow disease in cattle, and new variant Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD), a neurodegenerative disease, in humans.

Deer antler extract is purported to contain insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which is a banned substance for many professional athletic competitions.