JOHNSON CITY – A groundbreaking study published last year by an East Tennessee State University scientist has been listed as one of the top 25 major scientific advances in dietary supplement research for the year 2000.
The study was led by Dr. Craig Broeder, director of ETSU's Human Performance Laboratory, who published an article in a November 2000 issue of the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine that identified a number of potential health risks associated with use of the supplement androstenedione.
That same paper is now one of 25 being featured in the Annual Bibliography of Significant Advances in Dietary Supplement Research published by the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.
This year, more than 450 papers were nominated by editors of peer-reviewed journals from around the world. Those nominated were reviewed by 45 leading scientists in the United States and Europe, and the top 25 articles (five percent) were selected for inclusion in the bibliography.
Journals that submitted nominations include The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Science Magazine, Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, The Lancet, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and American Journal of Physiology.
According to Broeder, andro became widely known when it was reported that baseball star Mark McGwire used the supplement. Many men have begun taking andro to help combat aging, build muscle, and improve sexual performance.
While andro does raise the level of testosterone within the first month, Broeder found that it eventually returned to normal within 12 weeks. This extra amount of “free testosterone” resulted in harmful effects on the body's hormone and cholesterol levels.
When this extra testosterone, the body will convert it to estrogen and dihydrotestosterone. The estrogen can cause breast tissue to grow in men and increases the risk for breast cancer. Dihydrotestosterone has been shown to cause the prostate to enlarge.
Furthermore, men using andro in the study experienced a decrease in the levels of the beneficial form of cholesterol known as HDL, which helps fight the buildup of artery-clogging plaque.
For more information, contact Broeder at (423) 439-4265 or 439-5380.