ALABAMA A&M and AUBURN UNIVERSITIES

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BEWARE OF NATURAL STEROIDS

AUBURN, SEPT. 18---Slugger Mark McGwire's newly acquired superstardom has drawn attention to a widespread use of natural steroids by athletes.

While most Americans are somewhat familiar with the health risks of synthetic steroids, very few are aware natural hormone supplements, such as androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), are available at many health food stores. Androstenedione is the natural steroid McGwire has admitted using on a daily basis in order to boost strength.

Just because a product is "natural" and is used regularly by a sports superstar doesn't mean it's safe, says Dr. Bob Keith, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System nutritionist.

"The only difference between synthetic and natural steroids is synthetic steroids have been made in a laboratory and chemically altered in some way," says Keith.

What most people don't know is that natural steroids may produce many of the same side effects as synthetic hormones, including impaired bone-length growth, liver damage and an increased risk of hormone-related cancers, such as prostate and breast cancer, later in life.

Androstenedione is classified as a "precursor," which means the body converts it directly into testosterone. Highertestosterone levels are prized among quick-burst athletes because it enables them to train harder and recover quicker.

"The real irony of this is that selling synthetic steroids without a prescription can land you in jail, while natural steroids can be easily purchased over the counter at many health food stores," Keith says.

"What we have is a market for natural steroids such that even a 16-year-old can go up to a counter and purchase the product," he says. "None of these products has been tested for dose or safety and there's no research to show what effect these products may have on adolescents."

Unlike prescription drugs, natural substances such as androstenedione and DHEA are regulated under the National Supplement and Health Education Act of 1994. As a result, none of these products are subjected to the rigorous testing done on prescription drugs before they're placed on the market. These steroids can remain on market shelves unless the Food and Drug Administration finds something wrong with them. People don't realize this. They assume anything on market shelves has gotten the FDA's green light, Keith says.

"Kids assume that when they buy these products off the market shelves, they must be ok," he adds. "In a sense, that's true: they're not likely to drop dead or get seriously ill from using these products. On the other hand, they need to understand steroid hormones aren't controlled as well as prescription drugsand that there may be side effects."

Several professional sports organizations already ban the use of androstenedione, including the National Football League, National Collegiate Athletic Association and the International Olympic Committee. Shot-putter Randy Barnes faces a lifetime ban from competition for using it.

On the other hand, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League don't prohibit its use.

In McGwire's case, taking the product isn't believed to enhance hand and eye coordination or bat-to-ball contact, but it does enable him to increase the length of his training and workouts. McGwire believes he has suffered fewer injuries since he began using the product.

McGwire's admission of using natural steroids likely will spark even greater demand for the product, Keith says. What began as a $5-million-a-year industry has skyrocketed to $100 million within the past year.

"He's taking it and it's driving the market," Keith says. "And people in the supplement industry aren't going to play it down. After all, it means free publicity and larger profits for them."