Muscle boost ingredients fail to add muscle

When baseball player Mark McGwire hit a record 70 home runs, he gave partial credit to a popular diet supplement called “andro,†used in the products of several manufacturers and distributors that market to body builders, among others. McGwire says he’s stopped taking it, but many body builders still do. Since products with andro are available over-the-counter and can have a noticeable effect on hormones, health researchers want to know whether such “muscle-boosting†supplementation products work and whether they’re safe. “Andro†refers to androstenediol and androstenedione, which are bio-chemically related to testosterone. NO PROOF, SAYS DOCTOR Two newly published studies indicate such ingredients–and, therefore, products containing them for muscle boosting purposes–, are ineffective over the long term. The studies and interpretations of the studies go a step further in concluding that the substances found in such a products could promote undesirable results and could be harmful for some. One study, from East Tennessee University, indicates andro ingredients are ineffective in maintaining elevated androgen levels of male-type hormones for men over age 30 for more than an initial few weeks. Data shows that, after a short period of hormonal boost, levels return to normal. According to the study authors, “Testosterone precursors do not enhance adaptations to resistance training when consumed in dosages recommended by manufacturers.†Endocrinologist Joseph J. Pinzone, MD, of George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC. says men reaching their thirties can start to feel less potent, and can be vulnerable to thinking they need products with substances such as andro. “[Early thirties] is about the time when men think about taking things for potency and libido issues, or even taking things for body building,†says Pinzone. “There’s no proof at all that andro builds muscles–in fact, there’s proof to the contrary,†he says. In an Iowa State University study, also randomly assigned and double-blind, androstenedione supplementation did not increase testosterone nor help build muscle during an 8-week strength training period of thirty men, ages 19 to 29 years. Both studies were sponsored in-part by supplement or drug manufacturers. BULK, BUT AT WHAT COST? Personal trainer Scott Shelton has been around enough to know that many men trying to slim down and bulk up swallow the promises and pills of andro supplements. “A few are interested in the strength gains, but the vast majority are just trying to get bigger,†says Shelton. “If we were to believe everything that supplement manufacturers tell us as far as the advertising and the hype, we would be a society of very thin, muscular people. In fact, we are going completely the opposite way.†Shelton coaches muscle training the old-fashioned way among his clients: sweat, hard work, and a healthy diet. “As far as supplements themselves: I don’t believe in them,†he says. “Supplements are just that: they are supplements. If you eat a well-rounded diet, you shouldn’t need supplements. I know people that have and have not seen much gain, if any at all.†The Alexandria, Virginia trainer explains that a primary andro ingredient is purported to be a molecular precursor for testosterone. “The thinking is that your body will process the androstenedione and turn it into testosterone,†he says. “But there are so many different factors involved in that, it’s really impossible to say.†Shelton says one of the main ingredients of testosterone is cholesterol. “There are plenty of overweight people out there eating tons of cholesterol who aren’t big and muscular.†NO PRESCRIPTION NEEDED Pinzone, a hormone specialist, believes body builders started taking andro products because it was a legal way to–possibly–increase the hormones that turns boys into men, increasing muscle size along with sexual development. “What you realize–if you are in the know–is that you also are increasing the amount of estrogen in your body,†says Pinzone. “The end products, testosterone and estrogen, were categorized as FDA-regulated compounds which need a prescription and should only be administered by a medical professional; yet some of the steps just preceding the creation of testosterone and estrogen were categorized as dietary supplements.†Estrogen is the dominant hormone affecting reproductive function in women. In men, it can cause unwanted effects. “Estrogen levels clearly increase in a sustained way at least over 3 months with taking andro,†explains Pinzone. “In order to determine how it would [effect men], we often can look to other medical conditions where estrogen is increasing. So a few things can result: breasts can grow in men, milk production can start in breasts, breast cancer risk can actually go up in men.†OTHER CONCERNS Pinzone says andro is used by people other than body builders, those with a “medicinal concern where they would want to enhance a failing body as might occur with age, or illness, chronic illness, of even an acute illness.†The doctor says hormone enhancement carries the risk of enlarging the prostate, since one associated ingredient found in products with andro, dihydrotestosterone, seems to mediate many of the testosterone-like activities associated with testosterone. “Nobody knows that it probably would increase the risk of the prostate growing, enlarging to an abnormal degree,†says Pinzone. “If there were mutations in the prostate cells that were cancerous mutations, andro or other androgen-containing compounds like testosterone might act as growth factor to actually stimulate the growth of those cells to an even faster rate.†Heart effect questions have also been raised. According the East Tennessee study authors, “Testosterone precursor supplementation [resulted in] unfavorable alterations in blood lipid and coronary heart disease risk profiles of men aged 35 to 65 years.†Dr. Pinzone says further studies are needed to more fully determine the effects of hormones found in products like andro, their efficacy, and safety. Says Pinzone, “Nobody knows for sure whether that would result in adverse outcomes for heart attacks or more strokes, but that does raise that concern.†It may be that such warnings are false alarms for the masses. Untold thousands of body builders and Charles Atlas-wannabes spend millions on products to enhance their muscle training and building, suggesting support and confidence for many products.