Androstenedione Might Be Hazardous, Study Finds

Androstenedione, the supplement once used by Mark McGwire, does raise testosterone above normal levels and could be hazardous, Harvard researchers say in a study financed by major league baseball.

Both baseball and its players’ union said additional study is needed to determine whether andro affects athletic performance.

A study last year found that the over-the-counter drug had no effect on testosterone levels or strength and instead may promote breast enlargement, heart disease and cancer.

The new study lasted only one week and did not measure whether andro can do what promoters have claimed--make bigger muscles. But the researchers said andro could have that effect because it increases levels of the male hormone.

“If a patient of mine came to me and asked whether he should take androstenedione, I would caution against it simply because we don’t know what the long-term effects are,” said Dr. Benjamin Z. Leder, the Harvard endocrinologist who led the study, published in today’s Journal of the American Medical Assn.

Side effects of elevated testosterone levels include acne, male pattern baldness and a decrease in “good” cholesterol, which could lead to heart disease. In women, high testosterone can also cause increased body hair, deepening of the voice and other male characteristics.

Andro sales soared after McGwire acknowledged using it in 1998, the year he hit a record 70 home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals. He said he wasn’t using it last season, when he hit 65 homers.

Andro is considered a dietary supplement, but the federal government is reviewing whether it should be reclassified as a steroid, which would remove it from store shelves and make it available by prescription only for legitimate medical uses.

It is banned by the Olympics, the NCAA, the NFL and the men’s and women’s tennis tours, but not by major league baseball.

“That androstenedione, when taken in higher than suggested doses, elevates testosterone levels appears to be a significant contribution to the science surrounding its use,” baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. “While we are pleased to have played a part in the advancement of science, we are also concerned about the effects of androstenedione use. More research is needed.”