Picture this: your 17 year old is at the plate, bases are loaded, the
count is full. If he hits it out of the park, his team wins and he may
get a college scholarship. Yes, there is a lot of pressure on these
young student athletes to perform. In fact, they often look for an
advantage, perhaps a pill, to help get that extra competitive edge in
strength, speed and endurance. The new buzz word for this trend is
"andro", or androstenedione -- the supplement which has received a lot
of publicity thanks to the famous home run slugger Mark McGwire.

Androstenedione is actually a steroid hormone. Everyone produces some;
in fact, "andro" is part of the whole complex of the hormonal feedback
and production system in our body. Through pathways and enzyme systems
(sort of like highways with someone telling us which exit to take), the
"andro" can be converted to produce more testosterone (male hormone) or
Estrone (female hormone). This conversion is regulated by many factors,
which is best explained by "Mother Nature". Basically, our bodies are
used to our own internal regulatory system. When we add a supplement to
this system, the initial trick of extra hormone may really cause Mom
Nature to get quite annoyed, which can cause some problems.

WHAT CAN HAPPEN IF WE TAKE ADDITIONAL "ANDRO"?
"Andro" is considered an androgenic-anabolic steroid. This means that it
is a male sex hormone which can temporarily increase testosterone levels
and theoretically build up muscle mass while decreasing body fat. It can
also lead to hair loss (more profits for the makers of Rogaine),
increased acne, an increased sex drive, shrinking testicles(where did
they go?), aggressive behavior and potential liver damage. This
supplement may also lower your own testosterone production, thus causing
other problems with your own internal hormonal regulatory system.

IT'S NATURAL, SO IT'S SAFE, RIGHT?
Wrong, Mr. Biceps. As I reported in a previous article ('Natural'
Doesn't Always Mean Safe), Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health
and Education Act of 1994, which removed the FDA's authority to evaluate
the safety of dietary food supplements unless consumers reported any
dangerous side effects. This basically leaves the consumer in a bind: we
can never assume the nutritional food supplement is safe, or actually
contains the ingredient listed on the product label. How did this act
ever pass?!!! So, in the meantime, "andro" is not regulated and is
available and promoted by the sellers and manufacturers of this product.

IT'S LEGAL, SO WHY NOT?
Well, while "andro" is legal to use by professional baseball players, it
has been banned by other sporting agencies including the NFL, the U.S.
Olympic Committee and the NCAA. There are many safety concerns,
especially since it is an anabolic steroid which can be converted into
testosterone.

The proponents state that "andro" only temporarily boosts testosterone
levels (increases can be detected 10-15 minutes after taking the pill
and can stay elevated up to three hours after one dose). They further
state that the elevated testosterone levels aren't in the body long
enough to cause any detrimental effects, and when taken as directed, is
safe and does not cause a decline in ones' own natural testosterone
production.

The skeptics state that the "safe" dosage isn't really known: currently
manufacturers recommend anywhere from 50mg to 100mg per day. They
further state that the manufacturers are making claims about its
effectiveness without knowing the long term health effects. The bottom
line is that there are not enough good studies out there which back up
the safety or effectiveness of androstenedione.

HOMERUN OR STRIKEOUT?
In my opinion, "andro" as a supplement is a strikeout. I do not
recommend this to adults; and absolutely discourage any use of this
supplement by children or teenagers. I believe non-medically supervised
hormonal supplementation can be dangerous, and possible short term
benefits may be followed by long term complications.

If you are considering or currently using androstenedione, please
consult your family physician. Remember, "it's not nice to fool mother
nature".