Warning on muscle booster

Health authorities have issued a warning against the bodybuilding supplement "andro" which can be bought over the counter in Australian health food shops.

 

The supplement is popular with body builders who believe they are using a natural alternative to steroids. But according to tests completed recently in California, trace elements in andro - short for androstenedione - can register as steroids in blood tests.

 

Androstenedione is banned by the International Olympic Committee, but is believed by some gym junkies to be a harmless power boost for weight training.

 

Not so, says Dr Don Catlin of the University of California, whose study of 41 male users of andro, found many excrete a substance associated with anabolic steroids. Catlin believes product is corrupted with other elements that test positive for steroids.

 

And although these trace elements are relatively harmless because of the minute portions found, users should be wary of the andro itself, warns Catlin.

 

Andro supporters argue the product is a testosterone precursor that can help build muscle mass. The fitness experts are yet to be convinced of these claims, but there is growing evidence andro raises cholesterol levels and may tamper with hormone levels.

 

Whatever the health implications, Catlin's study, published in the November 29 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that all the men using andro, tested positive for the steroid marker 19-norandrostenedione. This would mean instant disqualification from many Australian sporting competitions.