Androstenedion
Androstenedion, "a nutritional dietary supplement (McCallum 17)", increases athletic performance and its use has caused controversy in the sports world. Once taken, androstenedion elevates the testosterone levels in your body. With that in mind, it increases the leanness in your muscles and decreases your body fat. In addition, the ability of your body to recover increases and the amount of time your body needs to recover is decreased. Although androstenedion is legal in Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey league, it is banned in the National Football League, the International Olympics Committee and the NCAA. The fact that androstenedion is classified "as a nutritional dietary supplement (McCallum 17)" doesn't make any less dangerous. Like any hormones, it may have the same harmful side effects. According to Mark McGwire, " "andro" helps him train harder and recover quickly from injuries (Schrof 53)". However, sports medicine doctors say this drug is especially dangerous for adolescents.Androstenedion is a pre-hormone. It is a biological substance produced in small amounts in the body by the adrenal cortex, ovary and testis. Once it ente
rs the liver, it is converted into testosterone by an enzyme that acts on androstenedion. The conversion only produces testosterone and requires only one enzyme reaction. What becomes of the androstenedion depends on the multiple controls of the enzymes. For example, if the luteinizing hormone is low, then the testosterone production is low too. After that, it is absorbed into the bloodstream. High testosterone levels are associated with increases in lean muscle mass and decreases in body fat. Testosterone is produced to increase muscle growth by gathering nitrogen, a key component of muscle fiber. In a sense, androstenedion can be considered an anabolic steroid or muscle-building hormone. Synthetic anabolic steroids have dangerous side effects and are illegal for non-medical uses. Androstenedion is not illegal but its side effects are similar to the synthetic type. According to Mark McGwire, "andro helps him train harder and recover quickly from injuries (Schrof 53)". Androstenedion is made famous by St Louis Cardinal slugger, Mark McGwire. The "A" word has been in the corner of every sportswriter's mouth ever since they discovered that Mark McGwire consumes androstenedion. But Mark McGwire is not the only player to use androstenedion. According to McGwire, "at least nine or ten St. Louis Cardinal teammates use andro (McCallum 17)". Other than McGwire, another superstar has publicly admitted to use androstenedion. Houston Astros star Jeff Bagwell told The Houston Chronicle that he had taken the drug, two weeks before the McGwire controversy exploded into the media. In Major League Baseball, there is estimation that 60 percent of all players use androstenedion or some other type of muscle enhancing supplement. Even thought the NCAA suggest to their young
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