Androstenedione
What is Androstenedione?
Androstenedione is a natural chemical found in the body that produces testosterone. This chemical can also be found naturally in some meat and even some plants. Androstenedione, also called Andro, can boost testosterone levels when taken orally sometimes making the person stronger. Andro was first seen in capsule form in the US in the 1990's. Its popularity has grown ever since Mark McGwire, the new Major League Baseball home run record holder, admitted to taking the supplement. The companies that are selling Andro are making huge profits off the supplement that claims to increase lean muscle mass 300%. Although most people who take the drug do not complain of any side effects at all, this drug has been reported to carry dangerous side effects. Most Major League sports have banned the supplement saying it gives athletes a "unfair advantage". The NBA, the MLB, and the NHL in the US have not ruled this supplement as "unfair". There are many questions that remain about this supplement such as the long-term side effects, and how much muscle is gained by taking the drug. This supplement can be bought over the counter and is not controlled by the FDA, making Andro easy to access. Some drug chains have taken this drug off the shelf due to fear of long-term side effects. Andro can be found in some local drug chains and also on the World Wide Web. One person from our poll explains, "Andro's advantages make up for the side effects."
What about the health risk?
Most of the health risks for Androstenedione are not known, and the long-term effects are not known at all.
· It might convert to the female hormone, estrogen in males and females.
· Too much Andro can shut down the production of testosterone in the body.
· In adolescents, it is known to stunt growth.
How does Andro work?
Andro is first consumed orally. It is then taken to the liver where it picks up two carbons. The two carbons added to Andro are testosterone. Andro is also already made in your body. The natural production of Andro is different.
What about Baseball and Andro?
For more than a year St. Louis Cardinals, power hitter Mark McGwire has taken the legal, supplement Androstenedione. Many people believe that the drug gave him an unfair advantage last year when he shattered Roger Maris's single season home run record.
Steroids in baseball, particularly in Major League Baseball (MLB), have become a major issue. Two specific athletes have affected Major league Baseball dramatically; these players are Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds. It is hard to catch a steroid user. Don Catlin, a former director at the UCLA Olympic testing lab says time after time they try to find the users and test them method, after they have evidence, however, this method does not work (Quinn). Mark McGwire’s and Barry Bonds’ use of steroids affected baseball in terms of trust issues, record holders, drug policies, and the future of baseball.
Androstenedione, known as "andro", is made of a naturally occurring hormone of the body, which is used naturally in tiny amounts to make the male hormone testosterone. It is found in humans, animals and the pollen of many plants. Andro is produced in the gonads and adrenal glands of all mammals. It is said to help speed up the recovery of injuries along with bodybuilding and weight training to increase muscle mass. The androgens are the male sex steroids. When andro is taken it can convert the female sex steroid, estrogen into testosterone. Testosterone increases body and facial hair, acne, deepens the voice, enhances prostate growth, and promotes muscular growth. Blood levels of testosterone start rising about 15 minutes and peak about an hour after oral consumption of androstenedione. When users take too much, androgen shuts off the bodyís own making of testosterone, which can damage normal testicular function (Quinn).
The MLB arguably has conveyed a series of mixed messages with regard to its players and their use of steroids. On the one hand, the League apparently cooperates with lawmakers on the issue of regulating drug use among its players; on the other, some of the best athletes in the MLB are suspected of drug use and yet continue to be marketed and revered. Examples of drugs used by MLB stars have included: Anavar, Andriol, Clomid, Depo-Testosterone, Insulin, Stanozolol, and Testosterone1. These drugs are steroids, typically prescribed by medical professionals to patients fighting specific disorders (such as low testosterone or infertility) or provide relief for immense pain or other severe symptoms; they are used “off-label” by athletes for increa...
Anabolic steroids are a group of muscle building chemicals, which are synthetic versions of the male hormone, testosterone. Developed in the 1930’s, they were prescribed to aid in muscle tissue repair by those who had undergone surgery or had degenerative diseases. Now the patients do not only use them but also athletes. Starting in the 1940’s steroids were introduced into sports. Steroids were one of the main reasons that Russia’s 1952 Olympic weightlifting team came out with pile of medals. With these results other nations thought their competitors should have the same advantage, and the use of steroids spread like wildfire.(NIDA pg 2) But now steroids are illegal to use if not prescribed by a physician, and have been banned by nearly all-athletic organizations, both professional and amateur.
The use of steroids and performance enhancing drugs is a common trend that is currently fascinating athletes all over the world. Athletes who are using these drugs are damaging the sport and harming their bodies at the same time. Seeking a greater athletic physique and ability, athletes turned to the use of steroids. Once the dangers and possible health risks arose, athletes then turned to performance enhancers. Two specific supplements have taken the sports world by storm and now are being used by athletes of all ages. They are androstenedione and creatine. It took years until people began to understand how dangerous steroids really were. These performance enhancers, like androstenedione and creatine are going to produce the same results.
Testosterone is a naturally occurring hormone in our bodies. Anabolic or androgenic steroids are synthetic variants of testosterone (James 7). Testosterone is good for your body when produced at normal levels. In males, it helps promote protein-building, production of sperm. It also has metabolic effects on muscle, bone, and skin (Goldman 72). Anabolic steroid’s main purpose isn’t to gain muscle they are used as medicine. They help with types of anemia, a few types of breast cancers, endometriosis, osteoporosis, and hereditary angioedema (NIDA 2). But anabolic steroids are often taken at 10 to 100 times the natural levels by athletes looking to be their best (Yesalis xxv).
Steroids occur naturally in our bodies. The major anabolic steroid found in our bodies is testosterone. (1) AAS is derived synthetically from testosterone. (3) Testosterone is the main sex hormone in males and is responsible for the growth effects during the years of male adolescence and into later years of adulthood. Nearly every cell in the body has proteins that act as receptors for AAS. Therefore the anabolic and androgenic response in the body is determined by the location and type of the cells and the nature of the steroid. (7) This hormone has two major effects on one’s body. The Anabolic effect promotes muscle growth by increasing the rate of protein synthesis within each cell. The Androgenic effects in testosterone are primarily responsible for traits in males such as the deepening of one's voice and the growth of facial hair. (1)
Although steroids have many negative effects, they have many needed medical purposes. Androgens have many legitimate medical uses, such as the use for treatment of hypogonadal men to compensate for the lack of endogenous production. Anabolic steroids are also helpful for the treatment of certain adolescent diseases, some types of anemias, and for a relatively rare form of edema. Other clinical uses focus on the tissue building and anti-catabolic effects, such as in the treatment of burn victims, AIDS, or HIV positive patients, or patients malnourished from disease or old age (Bellino 1).
“Steroids are any type of a large group of fat-soluble organic compounds, as the sterols, bile acids, and sex hormones most of which have specific physiological action” (Dictionary.com). When our bodies are still developing, the effects of steroids can be dangerous and can also be permanent (“Above”). Steroids are made out of substances such as nandrolone, stanozolol, testosterone, fluoxymestrone, and oxandrolone. Sometimes people say when you can’t pronounce something, you probably shouldn’t use it. In the 1940’s testosterone began to be widely used in competitive sports, but the dangers of loading up on testosterone were not yet clear (“History”). Instead of using steroids for a bad reason, there is a medicinal purpose. Cortisteroids can treat arthritis, asthma, lupus and multiple sclerosis, eczema and rashes, and some types of cancer (“Steroids: Medline”). Also, steroids can be used to treat anemia, to improve weight loss due to severe illness, and to treat osteoporosis. Steroids can only be sold to you by a pharmacist f...
The sellers of creatine and androstenedione (pronounced androe-steen-die-own) make these sorts of claims although there are no long-term studies of the effectiveness or safety of these drugs. Nevertheless, retailers can’t keep them on the shelves. Their popularity has been aided by high profile athletes. Both drugs are chemicals naturally produced in the body and found in minute amounts in food, mostly red meat. But that is where the similarities end.
This is to prevent the chance that their samples would be tampered with, compared to if the drug test was announced, meaning that athletes would have had enough time to plan their potential tampers. For some time, FINA had trouble trying to locate Smith for the drug test, finding that she was consistently unavailable, or just could not get to her front door. But on January 10 1998, Smith was greeted with a spontaneous drug test in her home. Four to six minutes after FINA’s arrival, Smith returned with a urine sample. But after testing conducted in a laboratory, not only was the sample found to be tampered with with whiskey, but traces of androstenedione were found too. By diluting the urine sample with alcohol, Smith was able to hide any usage of other Performance Enhancing Drugs. By taking the steroid of androstenedione, the body produces more testosterone and oestrogen. This hormone helps produce more strength, and improves endurance, meaning swimmers could swim stronger, but also for longer. Providing an increase in red blood cell production, more oxygen is then sent around the body, also aiding the swimmer swim for longer periods of time. Additionally, androstenedione improves stamina, and increases muscle size. The hormone also has the ability to minimize the mass of fat, paving a way for increased muscles. Furthermore, androstenedione helps in muscle
Anabolic steroids are a type of synthetic drug that are aimed to copy the effects of the hormone testosterone. What this does is boost the levels of development of male reproductive tissues which i...
The use of steroids may enhance an athlete’s performance, but negatively impact his/her health. Anabolic steroids are a synthetic substance that is similar to testosterone. Doctors may prescribe this substance for something such as delayed puberty or maybe even a medical issue when one’s body produces low amounts of testosterone. On the other hand, when the use of steroids is abused it can increase muscle mass, strengthen bones and improve an athlete’s performance. While these results may sound astounding, the side effects are not very pleasing. Most compelling evidence shows that abusing steroids can cause infertility in men. Anabolic Steroids are part of a class of drugs known as androgens, which are compounds that act similar to testosterone (SD). Testosterone is naturally produced in
When most people think of performance-enhancing drugs the first thought that comes to their minds is the illegal ones like steroids, but today there are more non-illegal drugs like creatine and androstenedione for people today. Creatine is a chemical produced by the kidney and found in meat product. It helps muscles recover after a workout, which in turn helps athletes bulk up faster (Gregorian 5). Creatine is used by many of the nations top college sports teams like Nebraska and Northwestern. The ?Husker Power? strength program uses creatine, where it is meticulously measured and poured to the contours of the designated athlete (Gregorian 1). It is also slurped and scarified down by 25% if of pro baseball, basketball and hockey players and 50% of the NFL players also (Gregorian 1). Androstenedione, also known as andro, is a synthetic chemical that is changed into testosterone by the kidney (Scruff 1), and while it is currently legal it is on the road to becoming illegal. It has fulfilled two of the three requirements for being a steroid and tests are being done about the third, and if ?passes? the third one it will be considered a steroid and become illegal. It has also been banned in professional tennis, the Olympics and the NFL (Regan 2). In addition, there are also the illegal ones such as steroids. Also a little known one by most of the public is a drug called, erythopoietin commonly referred to as EPO. EPO stimulates the body?s production of red blood cells which caries oxygen to muscles and all other parts of the body (Swift 2). Another one is growth hormones, which help muscles recover faster after a workout (Swift 2). A drug guru for some of the worlds top cyclists who had a ?forced? retirement said that, ?in the ?70s the most commonly used drugs were amphetamines; in the ?80s, anabolic steroids and cortisone; and in the ?90s, growth hormones and EPO? (Swift 12). One sad thing about today?s athletes is that in 1995, 198 athletes were surveyed. In the survey they were asked if they were offered a banned performance enhancer with the guarantee that that they wouldn?t be caught, and they would win. Of the 198 surveyed 195 said yes and only 3-said no. Then the same people were asked the same question but they would also win every competition for five years, where after which they would die from the side effects. Sti...
In 776 BC the ancient Greeks would eat animal hearts and testicles, followed by drinking wine potions and using hallucinogens. This was the first form of performance enhancing drugs (PEDS). Over the year’s scientist have developed other PEDs that are not wine or hallucinogens. Stanozolol the most used drug, and most popular anabolic steroid ever made, has been linked to professional athletes for many years. , , Stanozolol has many serious side effects including; an allergic reaction, swelling of the arms or legs especially ankles, frequent or persistent erections or breast tenderness or enlargement and voice changes, hair loss, facial hair growth, clitoral enlargement or menstrual irregularities. The argument of whether performance-enhancing