Word: steroids
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...being so hard-nosed about this? Androstenedione is not a vitamin, a mineral or a protein. It's an honest-to-goodness steroid. The only chemical difference between it and testosterone, which is found in varying degrees in both men and women, is a single hydrogen atom. That helps explain why androstenedione is banned by the National Football League and the International Olympic Committee. If you find it surprising that you can buy a steroid over the counter, you can thank the U.S. Congress, which in 1994 barred the Food and Drug Administration from regulating the "dietary supplements" industry...
...muscle mass and boost the sex drive of both men and women. The trick is getting it into the bloodstream. First it has to get past the stomach and intestines, which break down a lot of androstenedione, rendering it ineffective. Some manufacturers are experimenting with ways to stabilize the steroid so it won't be so easily destroyed during digestion. Most users attempt to get around this little snag by taking more pills. And there are other supplements available that are chemically similar to androstenedione and that may boost testosterone more effectively...
Your description of the 1998 Tour de France as the "Tour des Drugs" [MEDICINE, Aug. 10] as well as your characterization of the striking riders as "unsportsmanlike" is insulting and unfair. Given that the majority of the riders, who were not involved in steroid use, were striking against the manhandling of themselves and their possessions by police goons who interrogated first and thought later, their actions were quite reasonable. And your reportage somehow neglected to mention that these "unsportsmanlike" riders nonetheless finished the course for the benefit of the many spectators who had turned out to see them...
...catch? Even a few months of steroid use can permanently damage the heart, trigger liver failure, stop a teenager from growing taller and even put at risk a young woman's chances of ever having children. Another catch: while black-market steroids are widely available, there are criminal penalties for sale or possession without a prescription...
...tell if your daughter is on steroids? That can be tricky. Two of the most common side effects--acne and mood swings--are also hallmarks of normal adolescence. Most young women take steroids not to develop bulky muscles but rather to increase their strength and endurance, which are harder to spot. Look for a subtle but rapid change as the normal curves of fat that define the female form melt away. Longtime steroid users may lose their breasts entirely. Watch too for torn connective tissues. Steroids often cause muscles to outgrow and injure the tendons and ligaments that attach them...