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Additional Views H.R. 3866, Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004 While we generally support the Anabolic Steroid Act, we are very concerned that it explicitly exempts a specific steroid precursor, DHEA. The effect of this exemption is to prevent the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) from taking action against DHEA as an anabolic steroid, no matter what evidence accumulates about its risks. The purpose of this legislation is to make it easier for DEA to restrict access to anabolic steroids, products, like Androstendione (Andro), that boost testosterone and estrogen levels in the body. This is important because these products can have serious health risks, including potentially toxic effects on the liver and cardiovascular system, damage to fertility, and psychiatric side-effects, according to the American Medical Association. Because of their effects on hormone levels, anabolic steroids can be particularly damaging to growing children and adolescents. These products are widely marketed as performance enhancers and are increasingly used, especially by young people. However,
this act specifically excludes DHEA, another steroid hormone that is sold as a
dietary supplement for performance enhancement as well as for rejuvenation.
By specifically exempting DHEA we are sending a signal to the American
public that DHEA is safe. This
would be the wrong message. Once
this legislation becomes law, we could see in increase in DHEA use, including
among younger athletes, as the other products become less accessible. DHEA
is a hormone precursor. It converts
to Andro and then to testosterone and estrogen in the body.
The National Institutes of Health has expressed its concern about
dangerous side effects and the possibility of undiscovered health risks
associated with DHEA. Even
the dietary supplement industry itself recognizes the health concerns associated
with this product. The Council for
Responsible Nutrition (CRN) puts Andro, which this legislation makes a
controlled substance, and DHEA in the same category.
CRN says that young people "may be more susceptible than adults to
adverse effects of steroid hormone precursors such as 'andro'. and DHEA."
Because of those safety concerns, CRN says that these products are
inappropriate for use by athletes younger than 18. According to Gary Wadler, a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency panel and an NYU professor of medicine, medically, "there is no reason to ban andro and not DHEA." The National Collegiate Athletic Association bans Andro and DHEA. The World Anti-Doping Agency bans Andro and DHEA. Only this legislation bans andro but protects DHEA. This exclusion has no scientific basis, and does not belong in this legislation. Henry
A. Waxman | |
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