RESEARCHER: MORE STUDY NEEDED ON ANDROSTENEDIONE, CREATINE
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Did a popular dietary supplement help Mark McGwire break baseball's home run record?
There's no evidence either way, according to a researcher at Ball State University's Human Performance Laboratory, speaking for the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
David Pearson, Ball State associate professor of physical education, said the NSCA's position is that more research is needed to determine whether supplements such as androstenedione actually enhance athletic performance.
Pearson is chair of the NSCA's sub-committee on nutrition. The NSCA issued, through Pearson, a policy statement on androstenedione and creatine which the National Centers for Disease Control has accepted as authoritative.
"It's the NSCA's policy not to recommend or dispute the use of dietary supplements without basing such statements on sufficient scientific research," Pearson said.
McGwire's quest for the home run record was nearly overshadowed by reports that he uses the testosterone-producing supplement androstenedione. Although the over-the-counter substance is banned by the NBA and NFL, it is legal in Major League Baseball.
The NSCA's view on androstenedione, Pearson said, is not that the jury is still out. Rather, the jury has yet to be seated.
"We can't support or rebuke the effectiveness or safety of androstenedione because there is no body of scientific literature upon which to draw any conclusions," Pearson said.
The NSCA opposes the use of any illegal substance for the purpose of enhancing athletic performance, Pearson said. The association also supports the right of sports governing bodies to control over-the-counter supplement use by professional and amateur athletes.
"However, the NSCA encourages more scientific research on many of the claims made for over-the-counter performance supplements," Pearson said. "Research should also determine any short- or long-term health risks associated with these supplements."
As football season opens, many gridiron players claim enhanced performance through use of the amino acid derivative creatine monohydrate, commonly known as creatine.
Pearson said the NSCA acknowledges and generally supports scientific research showing creatine to have a positive effect on weight gain. Creatine has also been shown to increase strength and power measurements in controlled short-term studies with athletes.
"But it should be noted that there have been no long-term studies which can support or rebuke the effects this supplement has on physical health and performance," Pearson said.
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A. Barker 9/9/98
(Note to Editors: For more information about this story or how to reach the source, contact Anthony Barker at 765-285-1560 or [email protected]. For more stories, visit the Ball State University News Center on the World Wide Web at http://newscenter.bsu.edu)
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