British bodybuilders who order anabolic steroids over the internet will be considered criminals beginning today – April 23, 2012 – under a new amendment to the British steroid law. Fortunately, the possession of anabolic steroids for self-administration remains perfectly legal under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (“MDA”). However, the new amendment makes the importation of steroids illegal.

The only exception involves cases of “personal custody”. For example, athletes attending the London Olympics this summer can legally bring steroids and performance-enhancing drugs with them in their luggage. But everyone else living inside the United Kingdom is prohibited from importing them via mail.

The amended steroid law reflects the recommendations made by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (“ACMD”) last summer. The recommendations reflect a blatant disregard for the health and safety of anabolic steroid users.

The primary beneficiary of the new steroid laws are “underground labs” (UGLs) that illicitly manufacture anabolic steroids within the United Kingdom. In fact, UGLs could not have dreamed of crafting legislation that would have been any more beneficial to them!

The ACMD did a few things that will directly and dramatically increase business for domestic UGLs.

1. They recommended the removal of references to “medicinal products” in the old steroid law. Courts had previously interpreted this to mean that the possession of non-medicinal UGL steroids was illegal. The new law makes UGL steroids unambiguously legal to possess for personal use.
2. By banning the importation of steroids, the new law effectively eliminates ALL competition from internet sources or international sources.
3. The new law essentially directs bodybuilders to obtain their steroids exclusively from domestic sources i.e. underground labs if they wanted to follow the law.

Harm reduction organizations are warning Needle-Syringe Program (NSP) workers to be prepared for an increase in the number of bodybuilders who may suffer adverse consequences from the increased use of UGL steroids.

Nigel Brunsdon, the director of Injecting Advice LTD and a planning committee member at the National Needle Exchange Forum, issued this notice for NSP workers involved in steroid harm reduction:

Part of the conversations with steroid users have always been about their knowledge of the law and the sources of their steroids. Previously these have been two separate topics, but with importation being illegal this now means that for at least the next few months this becomes one discussion.

After that of course we’ll start seeing the fallout from the increased underground production, at a guess this will be a rise in bacterial infections, abscesses and issues relating to variable strengths of products produced.

Last year, MESO-Rx wrote about the ramifications of the ACMD’s steroid-related recommendations:

What impact will this have on steroid use in the United Kingdom?

The production of anabolic steroids by UGLs within the United Kingdom will likely explode accompanied by a concomitant increase in the use of UGL steroids by British bodybuilders. Bodybuilders will switch from pharmaceutical steroids to lower-quality UGL steroids.

Unfortunately, this seems largely at odds with the efforts at “harm reduction” by the government. The quality control standards of UGLs are generally inferior to those of legitimate pharmaceutical products (that have been legally obtainable over the internet prior to the current pending amendments.)

Brunsdon also discussed the effect of the new steroid law with Martin Chandler, the Inter Agency Drug Misuse Database Manager at Liverpool John Moores University, during the Welsh National Drugs Conference last week. Chandler confirmed the negative consequences for steroid harm reduction.

This will cause a rise in home produced products by illicitly sourced raw testosterone powders, so we’ll see a rise in underground products produced in the UK, this is likely to decrease the quality and increase the risk….. and this year in particular there is a crackdown on raw materials as the government have to be seen to be preventing the importation and production of anabolic steroids prior to the Olympics.

The environment for steroid users in the United Kingdom is likely to become increasingly risky as the London Olympics approach. At least Britain has resisted the increasing pressure by the World Anti-Doping Agency to criminalize the personal use of steroids. Nonetheless, the passage of legislation that takes a major step backwards from the goal of steroid harm reduction is reason for significant concern. Bodybuilders looking for steroids in the months ahead should proceed with caution as law enforcement seeks to crackdown (or at least give the appearance of a crackdown) on steroids before the Olympics.

UGL steroids will become increasingly popular in the United Kingdom

More Steroid Articles from MESO-Rx:

• Oklahoma Targets Competitive Bodybuilders Using Steroids in Grand Jury Investigation
• Dentist Who Sold Prescriptions for Anabolic Steroids to Bodybuilders
• Bad News for British Bodybuilders – Buying Steroids on the Internet Soon to be Illegal

Originally published at: UK Bodybuilders Who Import Steroids Considered Criminals Beginning Today

Those of you who want to help advance the understanding of testosterone use for different conditions can join research studies that are currently enrolling. I was amazed to see how many studies are out there! However, none are looking at long term management of side effects like polycythemia with therapeutic phlebotomy, testicular atrophy with long term or cycled HCG therapy, HPGA normalization protocols using HCG+Clomid+estrogen blockers, and other important modalities that are being used by many physicians but with little controlled data.

Remember that some studies have placebo arms. Every study requires for you to read and sign a consent form that should clearly describe the risks and implications in joining the study. Make sure that the private investigator or research nurse overseeing the study explains things to you clearly.

Study to Determine the Long-Term Effects of Testosterone Replacement in Men

Unfortunately, there have been no controlled studies on the long-term use of testosterone replacement in men, even though many of us have been using it for over 20 years.

To answer questions about the long-term effect of testosterone replacement therapy in men the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, announced in November 2009 the start of a large-scale clinical trial to evaluate the effect of testosterone therapy in older men. Led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and conducted at 12 sites across the nation, the testosterone trial involves 800 men aged 65 years and older with low testosterone levels. The testosterone trial includes five separate studies. Men aged 65 years and older with low serum testosterone and at least one hypogonadal condition (anemia, decreased physical function, low vitality, impaired cognition, or  reduced sexual function) are randomly assigned to participate in a treatment group or a control group.

Treatment groups are given a testosterone gel that is applied to the torso, abdomen, or upper arms. Control groups will receive a placebo gel. Serum testosterone will be measured monthly for the first three months and quarterly thereafter for up to one year. Participants will be tested on a wide range of measures to evaluate physical function, vitality, cognition, cardiovascular disease, and sexual function.

Volunteering for a trial can really help advance research. Men interested in finding out more about participating in the study should call one of the following institutions:

• University of California, Los Angeles; 310-222-5297
• University of California, San Diego; 877-219-6610
• Boston University; 617-414-2968
• University of Pittsburgh; 800-872-3653
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y.; 718-405-8271
• Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; 713-798-8343
• University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; 612-625-4449
• Yale University, New Haven, Conn.; 203-737-5672
• University of Alabama at Birmingham; 205-934-2294
• VA Puget Sound Health Care System and University of Washington
• School of Medicine, Seattle; 206-768-5408
• Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.; 877-300-3065
• University of Florida, Gainesville; 866-386-7730, 352-273-5919

Testosterone - The King of All Steroids

Other Studies:

This is a list obtained from clinicaltrials.gov in summer of 2011 (visit the respective link to find out more about every study. This is a great way to not only have access to therapy, but also to have great monitoring and to serve for the better of humanity):

Title: Exogenous Testosterone plus Dutasteride for the Treatment of Castrate Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Prostate Cancer|Castration-resistant, Metastatic Interventions: Other: testosterone (AndroGel®) with the 5α-reductase inhibitor dutasteride
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00853697

Title: Anabolic and Inflammatory Responses to Short-Term Testosterone Administration in Older Men
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Sarcopenia
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone injection|Drug: Testosterone gel
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00957801

Title: Testosterone for Penile Rehab After Radical Prostatectomy
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Low Testosterone Levels|Erectile Dysfunction
Interventions: Drug: Testim® + Viagra®|Drug: Placebo Testim® + Viagra®
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00848497

Title: Use of Nebido® to Assess Tolerability and Treatment Outcomes in Daily Clinical Practice
Recruitment: Recruiting Conditions: Male|Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone Undecanoate (Nebido, BAY86-5037) URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00410306

Title: Pharmacokinetic and Comparative Bioavailability Study of Testosterone Absorption after Administration of Testosterone Gel 1.62% to the Upper Arms/Shoulders Using an Application Site Rotation or a Combination of Application Sites in Hypogonadal Males
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone Gel 1.62%|Drug: Testosterone Gel 1.62%
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT01133548

Title: Effect of Testosterone on Endothelial Function and Microcirculation in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Hypogonadism
Recruitment: Not yet recruiting
Conditions: Type 2 Diabetes|Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT01084369

Title: An Open-Label Study of Serum Testosterone Levels in Non- dosed Females After Secondary Exposure to Testosterone Gel 1.62% Applied to the Upper Arms and Shoulders and Use of a T-shirt Barrier
Recruitment: Recruiting Conditions: Pharmacokinetics Interventions: Drug: Testosterone Gel 1.62%
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT01130298

Title: Testosterone Replacement for Fatigue in Male Hypogonadic Advanced Cancer Patients
Recruitment: Recruiting Conditions: Advanced Cancer
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone|Drug: Placebo
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00965341

Title: Effect of Testosterone in Men with Erectile Dysfunction
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Erectile Dysfunction|Testosterone Deficiency|Diabetes
Interventions: Drug: Sildenafil citrate (open label)|Drug: Testosterone gel 1% (active or placebo)|Drug: Topical testosterone gel 1%
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00512707

Title: Influence of Administration Route of Testosterone on Male Fertility
Recruitment: Not yet recruiting
Conditions: Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: MPP10, testosterone|Drug: Testosterone
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00705796

Title: NASOBOL spray in Hypogonadal Men in Comparison to Testosterone Levels in Normal Healthy Male Volunteers Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: testosterone|Other: No treatment
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00647868

Title: Effect of Testosterone Gel Replacement on Fat Mass in Males with Low Testosterone Levels and Diabetes
Recruitment: Not yet recruiting
Conditions: Hypogonadism|Diabetes
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone gel|Drug: placebo
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00440440

Title: The Testosterone Trial
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Andropause
Interventions: Drug: AndroGel® (testosterone gel)
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00799617

Title: Vaginal Testosterone Cream vs ESTRING for Vaginal Dryness or Decreased Libido in Early Stage Breast Cancer Patients Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone Cream|Drug: Estring URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00698035

Title: Effect of Testosterone Therapy in Men with Alzheimer’s Disease and Low Testosterone
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Alzheimer’s Disease|Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: AndroGel (Solvay Pharmaceuticals)
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00392912

Title: 5-Alpha Reductase and Anabolic Effects of Testosterone
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Male Hypogonadism|Muscle Atrophy|Prostate
Enlargement|Sarcopenia
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone Enanthate|Behavioral: Collection of 3-day food logs with counseling of subjects|Drug: Finasteride|Behavioral: Collection of 3-day food logs with counseling of subjects|Drug: Testosterone Enanthate|Drug: Finasteride|Behavioral: Collection of 3-day food logs with counseling of subjects
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00475501

Title: Effects of Testosterone Replacement on Pain Sensitivity and Pain Perception
Recruitment: Recruiting
Study Results: No Results Available
Conditions: Pain|Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: Androgel (testosterone gel)|Other: Placebo
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00351819

Title: Testosterone Gel Applied to Women with Pituitary Gland Problems
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Panhypopituitarism
Interventions: Drug: Transdermal Testosterone gel
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00144391

Title: Testosterone Therapy in Men With Low Testosterone Levels and Metabolic Syndrome or Early Stages of Type 2 Diabetes
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Metabolic Syndrome
Interventions: Drug: Transdermal testosterone therapy|Drug: Placebo
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00479609

Title: Effect of Testosterone Replacement on Insulin Resistance
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Metabolic Syndrome|Hypogonadism
Interventions: Radiation: Testosterone gel|Drug: Placebo for testosterone gel
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00487734

Title: Effect of Androgel on Type 2 Diabetic Males with Hypogonadism
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone( AndroGel)
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00350701

Title: TEAM: Testosterone Supplementation and Exercise in Elderly Men
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Healthy
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone Gel|Behavioral: Exercise – Progressive Resistance Training (PRT)|Drug: Placebo Gel URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00112151

Title: Dose Titration Investigation of the Pharmacokinetics of Testosterone Transdermal Systems in Hypogonadal Men Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: Testerone Transdermal System
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT01104246

Title: Testosterone for Peripheral Vascular Disease
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Hypogonadism|Peripheral Vascular Disease|Type 2 Diabetes
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone|Drug: 0.9% saline
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00504712

Title: A Pilot Study of Parenteral Testosterone and Oral Etoposide as Therapy for Men with Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Prostate Cancer
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone|Drug: Etoposide
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT01084759

Title: Efficacy and Tolerability of an Intra-Nasal Testosterone Product
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: Nasobol® (Itra-nasal Testosterone)|Drug: Androderm® (Positive Control)
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00975650

Title: Testosterone Replacement in Men with Diabetes and Obesity
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: testosterone|Drug: placebo
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT01127659

Title: NEBIDO in Symptomatic Late Onset Hypogonadism (SLOH)
Recruitment: Not yet recruiting
Conditions: Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone Undeconate (Nebido, BAY86-
5037)|Drug: Placebo
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT01092858

Title: Baseline Sexual Function, Cognitive Function, Body Composition and Muscle Parameters and Pharmacokinetics of Transdermal Testosterone Gel in Women With Hypopituitarism
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Panhypopituitarism
Interventions: Drug: Transdermal Testosterone Gel
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00144404

Title: Effect of Increasing Testosterone on Insulin Sensitivity in Men with the Metabolic Syndrome
Recruitment: Recruiting Conditions: Metabolic Syndrome
Interventions: Drug: Zoladex|Drug: AndroGel|Drug: Arimidex
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00438321

Title: Testosterone Replacement in Men with Non-Metastatic Castrate Resistant Prostate Cancer
Recruitment: Recruiting Conditions: Prostate Cancer
Interventions: Drug: AndroGel|Drug: placebo
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00515112

Title: The Effect of IM Testosterone Undecanoate on Biochemical and Anthropometric Characteristics of Metabolic Syndrome in Hypogonadal Men
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Metabolic Syndrome|Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: Nebido (testosterone undecanoate)|Drug: Placebo
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00696748

Title: The Therapy of Nebido as Mono or in Combination With PDE-5 Inhibitors in Hypogonadal Patients With Erectile Dysfunction
Recruiting Conditions: Hypogonadism|Erectile Dysfunction
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone undecanoate
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00421460

Title: Transdermal Testosterone Gel/Effect on Erection Quality as Measured by DIR Recruitment: Recruiting Conditions: Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: AndroGel (Transdermal Testosterone Gel)
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00425568

Title: The Effect of 5-Alpha Reductase on Testosterone in Men
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Sex Disorders
Interventions: Drug: testosterone enanthate|Drug: duastride
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00070733

Title: Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction in Hypogonadal Men with Testosterone Undecanoate
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Erectile Dysfunction|Hypogonadotrophic Males
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone Undecanoate and/or PDE-5
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00555087

Title: Analgesic Efficacy of Testosterone Replacement in Hypogonadal Opioid-Treated Chronic Pain Patients: A Pilot Study.
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Pain|Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone Gel
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00398034

Title: Anabolic Therapies: New Hope for Treating Secondary Disabilities of SCI
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Hypogonadism|Spinal Cord Injury
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone Replacement Therapy Patch 5mg daily
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00266864

Title: Does Testosterone Improve Function in Hypogonadal Older Men
Recruitment: Recruiting Conditions: Hypogonadism Interventions: Drug: Testosterone
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00304213

Title: The Effect of Testosterone Replacement on Bone Mineral Density in Boys and Men with Anorexia Nervosa
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Bone Metabolism
Interventions: Drug: testosterone cypionate|Other: Bone monitoring
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00853502

Title: Effects of Testosterone in Women with Depression
Recruitment: Recruiting Conditions: Depression Interventions: Drug: Testosterone
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00676676

Title: Reandron in Diabetic Men With Low Testosterone Level
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Type 2 Diabetes|Hypogonadism Interventions: Drug: Reandron 1000|Drug: placebo URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00613782

Title: Outcomes of Mechanically Ventilated Patients With Low Serum Testosterone
Recruitment: Recruiting
Study Results: No Results Available Conditions: Acute Respiratory Failure
Interventions:
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00797433

Title: Testosterone Therapy on Angina Threshold and Atheroma in Patients with Chronic Stable Angina
Recruitment: Recruiting Conditions: Angina Pectoris
Interventions: Drug: Nebido
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00131183

Title: Hormone and Information Processing Study
Recruitment: Recruiting Conditions: Mild Cognitive Impairment|Alzheimer’s Disease
Interventions: Drug: testosterone gel|Drug: placebo gel
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00539305

Title: Efficacy Study for Use of Dutasteride (Avodart) With Testosterone Replacement
Recruitment: Recruiting Conditions: Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: dutasteride|Drug: placebo
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00752869

Title: Testosterone Replacement in Middle-Aged Hypogonadal Men With Dysthymia: Parallel Group, Double Blind Randomized Trial
Recruitment: Recruiting Conditions: Dysthymic Disorder
Interventions: Drug: Testoviron
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00260390

Title: Decreased Testosterone Levels in Men Over 65
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Aging|Hypogonadism|Andropause
Interventions: Drug: Anastrozole|Drug: Testosterone Gel|Drug: Placebo tablet|Drug: Placebo gel|Dietary Supplement: Calcium Cardone 500mg with vitamin D 400 IU
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00104572

Title: Testosterone Replacement Therapy in Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease
Recruitment: Recruiting
Study Results: No Results Available
Conditions: Kidney Failure|Kidney Diseases
Interventions: Drug: Testim (1% testosterone gel) URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00645658

Title: The Cardiac Benefit of Testosterone Replacement in Men with Low Testosterone Levels With Coronary Artery Disease After Successful Intervention of the Blockage or Narrowed Heart Artery
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Coronary Artery Disease
Interventions: Drug: AndroGel 5 Grams
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00413244

Title: Dose-Response of Gonadal Steroids and Bone Turnover in Men
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Healthy Volunteers
Interventions: Drug: testosterone|Drug: goserelin acetate|Drug: anastrazole
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00114114

Title: Effect of Androgel on Atherogenesis, Inflammation, Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Adiposity in Type 2 Diabetic Males With Hypogonadotrophic Hypogonadism
Recruitment: Not yet recruiting
Conditions: Type 2 Diabetic Male with Hypogonadotrophic Hypogonadism.
Interventions: Drug: Androgel
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00467987

Title: Hormonal Factors in the Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Anorexia Nervosa|Eating Disorder|Anxiety|Depression
Interventions: Drug: Testosterone|Drug: Placebo
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT01121211

Title: Investigator Initiated Study of the Effects of Androgen Therapy on Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism In Elderly Men
Recruitment:
Recruiting Conditions: Aging|Obesity|Insulin Resistance|Hypogonadism
Interventions: Drug: Topical testosterone (Androgel) 10 g/day
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00365794

Title: Phase II Randomized Study of Physiologic Testosterone Replacement in Premenopausal, HIV-Positive Women Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: HIV Infections|Cachexia
Interventions: Drug: testosterone
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00004400

Title: Amino Acid Supplement and/or Testosterone in Treating Cachexia in Patients With Advanced or Recurrent Cervical Cancer
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Cachexia|Cervical Cancer
Interventions: Dietary Supplement: leucine-enhanced essential amino acid dietary supplement|Drug: therapeutic testosterone|Other: placebo URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00878995

Title: Deslorelin Combined With Low-Dose Add-Back Estradiol and Testosterone in Preventing Breast Cancer in Premenopausal Women Who Are at High Risk for This Disease
Recruitment:
Recruiting Conditions: brca1 Mutation Carrier|brca2 Mutation Carrier|Breast Cancer
Interventions: Biological: therapeutic estradiol|Drug: deslorelin|Drug: therapeutic testosterone
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00080756

Title: Effect of High Testosterone on Sleep-associated Slowing of Follicular Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Frequency in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Interventions: Drug: Flutamide|Drug: Placebo
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00930228

Title: Metabolic Effects of Androgenicity in Aging Men and Women
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Aging|Insulin Resistance Interventions: Drug: Testosterone|Drug: Estrogen
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00680797

Title: Safety and Efficacy of LibiGel® for the Treatment of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder in Surgically Menopausal Women
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder
Interventions: Drug: testosterone gel|Drug: placebo gel
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00613002

Title: Sexual Dysfunction and Hypotestosteronemia In Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome And Its Effects With CPAP Therapy
Recruitment: Recruiting
Conditions: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS)|Sleep Apnea|Hypotestosteronemia
Interventions:
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00832065

Title: Surveillance Study of Women Taking Intrinsa®
Recruitment: Recruiting
Study Results: No Results Available
Conditions: Ovariectomy|Hysterectomy|Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder
Interventions:
URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT00551785

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• Growth Hormone vs. Testosterone – A Retrospective Based on the Latest Research
• UFC Dana White Supports Testosterone Replacement Therapy in MMA

Originally published at: Testosterone Research Studies

Ryan DeLuca, the founder and CEO of Bodybuilding.com, pleaded guilty to five Class A misdemeanor charges arising from a criminal investigation into Bodybuilding.com‘s sale of products containing “synthetic anabolic steroids or synthetic chemical ‘clones’ of anabolic steroids which were not dietary ingredients” between June 2007 and September 2009. Federal agents raided Bodybuilding.com’s corporate offices and warehouses over 2-1/2 years ago on September 24, 2009.

The five counts of a “Class A misdemeanor of introduction and delivery for introduction into interstate commerce of drugs which were misbranded” involved the following five products:

1. iForce Methadrol (Superdrol aka methyldrostanolone or methasterone),
2. Nutra Costal D-Stianozol (Madol aka DMT or desoxymethyltestosterone),
3. iForce Dymethazine (Superdrol aka methyldrostanolone or methasterone),
4. Rage RV5 (labeled as containing Madol and Superdrol but actually containing 4-androstenedione)
5. Genetic Edge Technologies (GET) SUS500 (Tren aka 19-Nor-4,9(10)-androstadienedione)

It should be noted that these synthetic steroids are not legally classified as “controlled substances” under the Anabolic Steroid Control Act.  They are unapproved new drugs or misbranded drugs under federal law.

Federal agents seized laptop computers, desktops and related computer-based evidence from numerous high-level Bodybuilding.com employees in September 2009. Deluca’s plea agreement indicated that corporate officers may have been aware that they were selling synthetic anabolic steroids and cognizant of the risks associated with selling them as early as 2008 and 2009.

The government’s smoking gun was evidence that Joe Guilliams, the FDA/FTC Compliance Officer at Bodybuilding.com, had notified management, including DeLuca, that these synthetic steroid products failed to qualify as “dietary supplements” under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act.

Bodybuilding.com sold $1.8 million in synthetic steroidal supplement during the first 7-1/2 months of 2009 alone. The total amount of revenue generated from the sale of misbranded and unapproved new steroidal drugs during the several years prior to 2009 has not been reported.

DeLuca agreed to pay a $500,000 fine and federal prosecutors promised to recommend probation instead of prison during sentencing.

The maximum penalty for each Class A misdemeanor is imprisonment of up to one year, a term of supervised release of one year, probation of up to five years and a maximum fine of $100,000.

DeLuca is scheduled to be sentenced by Chief United States District Judge B. Lynn Winmill in Boise (Idaho) on June 20, 2012.

DeLuca retained his own legal presentation, independent of Bodybuilding.com, to negotiate a deal with federal prosecutors.

“This agreement applies only to Ryan DeLuca, in his personal capacity, and not to any other person or entity,” according to court documents.

This leaves open the possibility that the corporate entity of Bodybuilding.com and its other corporate officers may still face potential charges and fines. If a corporate plea is in the works, a forfeiture in the millions of dollars could be seen.

During the course of the undercover federal criminal steroid investigation, Liberty Media, the owner of the QVC home-shopping network, purchased an 83% controlling stake in Bodybuilding.com from the DeLuca family. They paid over $100 million in January 2008.

Bodybuilding.com and sale of synthetic anabolic steroids or synthetic chemical “clones” of anabolic steroids

Source:

Plea Agreement. United States of America vs. Ryan DeLuca. Case No. CR 12-0090-SBLW

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• Steroid Doctor for Pro Wrestlers Pleads Guilty in Applied Pharmacy Services Investigation
• Pro Pharm Labs Pleads Guilty to Federal Steroid Distribution Charges

Originally published at: Bodybuilding.com CEO Pleads Guilty in Federal Steroid Investigation

Sustanon 250, whether as the trademarked Schering brand or as another product using the same name, is one of the most popular types of anabolic steroids. Unlike most other steroid injectables, Sustanon comprises a mixture of esters. Specifically, each ampule or mL contains testosterone propionate 30 mg, testosterone phenylpropionate 60 mg, testosterone isocaproate 60 mg, and testosterone decanoate 100 mg. This mixture includes short, medium, and long-acting esters.

For a steroid cycle, there are two advantages to combining multiple esters in the same formulation as Sustanon does.

Using multiple esters allows the fairly high total concentration of 250 mg/mL without requiring a large percentage of solubility enhancers in the vehicle. This is because solubilities of different esters of a steroid are nearly independent of each other. So for example if a vehicle (oil plus solubility enhancers) could dissolve 100 mg/mL of either one steroid ester alone or another alone, it could probably dissolve 200 mg/mL total as a combination of both. The greater total concentration adds convenience for the user.

A second effect of the blending is that extended duration of action can be achieved from including a long-acting ester without having the slow onset of action that such esters have when used alone. From the medical standpoint, it’s desirable that a patient experience benefit shortly after treatment. This is also true for steroid cycles. Because Sustanon contains short-acting esters, it can provide quick effect while also providing a fairly long duration of action.

From the bodybuilding perspective, this is helpful where the bodybuilder does not know how to frontload a steroid. But if he does, frontloading a longer acting single ester will accomplish very nearly the same thing. So, a different testosterone ester product such as testosterone enanthate or testosterone cypionate can very readily be used in an anabolic steroid cycle in place of Sustanon.

The multiple esters in Sustanon result in slightly complex pharmacokinetics or change in drug level with time. With a single ester, after so many hours or so many days blood level falls to one-half of what it had been; then by double that time that falls in half again resulting in one-quarter of the previous level; then by triple that time the level falls to one-eighth of what it had been, etc. This time period is called the half-life.

For Sustanon there is no such fixed time period. I estimate that after the last injection levels drop to one-half by the 4 day point; to one-quarter by the 10 day point; to one-eighth by the 16 day point; and to one-sixteenth by the 23 day point. Or if preferring to work with round numbers in terms of percent, as approximate values levels drop to 40% by day 6; to 30% by day 8; to 20% by day 11; and to 10% by day 18.

How then to use this information in a steroid cycle? While there is no exact black-and-white value, a good figure to work with is that when clomiphene or tamoxifen is correctly used, recovery of LH production may begin when levels from injected androgen have fallen to a level commensurate with ongoing 200 mg/week steroid usage. Stronger recovery can occur as levels fall yet further to about half this or less.

So let’s say Sustanon was used at 500 mg/week. In this case the user would need levels to fall by 40% before recovery might plausibly begin. From the above, this would be at approximately 6 days after the last injection.

If we had another athlete who used the rather high dosage of 2000 mg per week, he would need for levels to drop to 10% of what they had been. This would be at about 18 days past the last injection of the steroid cycle.

So much for the matter of the time required between the last injection and the point where recovery could begin. The remaining question regarding Sustanon’s unusual pharmacokinetics is, How to frontload it?

Ordinarily, determining a frontloading value is simple enough, being calculated from the half-life and the dosing schedule. However, Sustanon does not have any one half-life figure, so there is no mathematically perfect answer. However, we can come more than close enough for practical purposes.

The amount used for frontloading — the first day’s injection amount — should be that which will on average be taken in 5 days, plus the usual dosage. This total value may be rounded for convenience as exactness isn’t required.

So for example if taking 750 mg/week as three injections of 250 mg each, the average daily rate is 107 mg/day (750 mg divided by 7 days.) So the five-day amount works to five times this, or 535 mg. Add what will be the usual injection amount which is 250 mg, we have 785 mg. Because this is an inconvenient amount and absolute precision is not required, I’d round this to 750 mg.

After this, subsequent injections for the steroid cycle are all 250 mg.

This procedure will give proper blood levels much more rapidly than is the case when failing to frontload.

As to dosage, there are many ways to look at it, but a fairly simple and useful one is to categorize Sustanon usage at increments of 250 mg/week.

• Usage of 250 mg/week usually amounts to nothing other than high-end testosterone replacement therapy. There is no guarantee that this usage will even cause testosterone levels to exceed the normal range. The dosing is high enough to cause the side effect of suppressed LH production, but in most cases is not high enough for any striking anabolic or fat-loss effects. Depending on individual sensitivity, this amount may be high enough to cause the side effects of gynecomastia if an aromatase inhibitor is not used, or may be enough to cause oily skin or acne. In a few instances, anabolic or fat loss benefits may be impressive, as there are individuals who are high responders. But this isn’t the usual outcome for this dosage level.
• 500 mg/week. In my opinion, this is a reasonable minimum for an actual steroid cycle. I see little point in suppressing the HPTA but probably failing to get much gains out of it, as is the usual outcome for any dosage much less than this. Again, because testosterone aromatizes to estradiol, an aromatase inhibitor may be required to avoid estrogen-related side effects. No one, I think, will fail to see substantially improved gains at this dosage level compared to natural training, but the rate of improvement may be slow. Eight weeks, however, is sufficient even at this amount for a quite significant improvement, unless of course one has trained for enough time at this usage level to have gotten most of what the individual can obtain from it.
• 750 mg/week. I would rather see this amount used if choosing to do a cycle. If an aromatase inhibitor is used it is unlikely that increased side effects would be a real reason to prefer 500 mg/weeek over this dosage, and results are very substantially superior.
• 1000 mg/week. I have no problem with this being the dosage for a first steroid cycle but that is in the context of a serious lifter who understands what he is doing. If the steroid use is in fact cycled — that is to say, there are both on and off periods and the on periods are not overly long, and normalization of function is accomplished in the off periods — this is not an overly aggressive dosage by any means. At this dosage, the superiority over natural training is dramatic.
• Lastly, there are of course uses such as 2000 mg/week of Sustanon. I don’t see a reason to go to this until one has achieved such a level of development — relative to the individual — that for example 1000 mg/week has done about all that it can do. In that case, if personal goals call for it, a dose such as this can be completely appropriate.

Regardless of dosing level, frequency of injection should be at least twice per week, and more preferably at least 3x/week.

Further information on testosterone, the active anabolic steroid within Sustanon, can be found in my Testosterone Profile.

‘Testosterone propionate’, ‘testosterone phenylpropionate’, ‘testosterone isocaproate’, and ‘testosterone decanoate’ are the chemical names of the active ingredients in Sustanon 250. Sustanon 250 and Sostenon 250 are registered trademarks of Organon Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Organon Sustanon 250 - Sostenon 250

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Originally published at: Sustanon 250

Q: What are the best anabolic steroid for women? Are Anavar and Primobolan the best bets to minimize masculinizing side effects?

A: It may seem surprising but IMO Anadrol (oxymetholone) is a good choice for women who wish to be conservative yet have very effective results.

I don’t specialize in cycles for women and don’t choose to involve myself with it — it almost only happens when the wife of someone I’m working with wants to use some anabolic steroids as well — but I haven’t seen 25 mg/day in divided doses go wrong yet.

Medically, you’d be astonished at the doses women and even girls have taken with very low virilization rates. So anyway, contrary to what intuition might suggest, Anadrol is not one of the riskier choices for women.

That aside, 15 mg/day of Anavar (oxandrolone) will be virilizing in quite a few cases. Probably about 5 mg/day of oxandrolone is comparable to 25 mg/day Anadrol (divided doses) for risk.

Primobolan up to 50 mg/week, divided injections, is a common and reasonable choice, but has some risk: not a particularly high rate though.

I first learned of [Anadrol for women] from Dan Duchaine. In the earlier parts of Denise Rutkowski’s career, he had her on 25 mg/day Anadrol. I don’t think I’m disclosing a secret here because he also published this. She obviously did very well with it and at that point she was not virilized at all. So from him mentioning this to me, I looked further into it.

The medical doses are pretty astonishing. The reason that 50 mg is the tablet size is because that’s the standard minimal medical dose, including for women and children! It used to be used extensively for improving red blood cell count.

I’m sure I could find it again, and I’ve posted it before, but there’s at least one paper in the literature reporting doses used for quite a large number of women and reporting low incidence of any side effects. And these doses were often more than 50 mg/day. Sometimes much more.

And further, personally I’ve never seen 25 mg/day go wrong.

I’m not saying it can’t: you see some women developing hoarse voices and facial hair naturally with time, so there must be some women that are right on the edge. But generally speaking, this is a conservative dose, yet quite effective.

The mg amount that women can tolerate of Anadrol is markedly higher than any other anabolic steroid. However, that said, it’s also true that effect per mg is less, but not enough so to make up the safety difference IMO. I would put 25 mg/day Anadrol (in divided doses) up against 50 mg/week Primo any time for effectiveness and it’s at least equally conservative.

Another thing about Anadrol that’s remarkable is that other anabolic steroids are very easily disruptive of the menstrual cycle. Even dosages such as 2.5 mg oxandrolone 2x/day commonly raise issues. Anadrol however medically has shown often only moderate effect on the menstrual cycle at 50 mg/day, and in my too-limited experience with it (as I generally don’t work with women on steroid cycles) 25 mg/day only lightened and shortened the cycles slightly. Remarkably less disruptive.

As a rough rule of thumb: take a dosage that would be quite moderate for a man, nearly the minimum likely to be recommended that could still give reasonable results for a novice, then divide by 10 to have something that’s moderate but effective for a woman.

For each individual steroid, my suggested mild-but-effective dosage range may differ from the above slightly, and of course the above also is only approximate because there will be diffferent opinions as to what would be moderate for a man. But if having nothing else to work with, if you see or are considering a dosage and want to do a quick “reality check,” the above can help. For example, say that someone is proposing EQ at 100 mg/week. Multiply by 10, and our comparison would be to 1000 mg/week of EQ for a man. That’s well above being a mild cycle. So we can see at a glance that this EQ dose is off, without having had to remember specific values for each steroid.

Also in general I’d forget stacking for women.

Returning to the stacks you asked about, and in general to anabolic steroids other than Anadrol for women:

I can’t say that it couldn’t possibly be that some stacking method might give better ratio of muscle gain to side effects, but as to whether we know what that is, that’s another question entirely. The best understood uses are single-drug, and single-drug works fine. Primo or Anadrol are my top two choices for bodybuilding and fitness; oxandrolone is also acceptable but must be lower dosed than those two; for quality of life enhancement, very very low dose testosterone works fine.

Is Anadrol an appropriate steroid for women?

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Originally published at: What are the Best Steroids for Women?

UFC President Dana White strongly supported the use of medically-indicated testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for mixed martial artists competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He defended TRT as a legal medical therapy that anyone, including amateur and professional athletes, should be entitled to receive if they are suffering from low testosterone.

White doesn’t believe it matters why an individual’s testosterone is low. Former steroid abusers who are suffering from anabolic steroid induced hypogonadism (ASIH) should be at the top of the list for doctor prescribed TRT. It makes no difference to White if the athlete has ASIH that occurred as the result of previous use of illicit anabolic steroids.

UFC president Dana White gave his most extensive comments regarding TRT in MMA in a video interview posted by MMAWeekly.com following the UFC 146 press conference in Las Vegas on March 27, 2012.

“Testosterone replacement therapy is something you can do. It’s for guys whose testosterone is too low, but here’s what you’re supposed to do: You’re supposed to get it back to the levels of a normal guy your age, and if you’re even that much over, now it becomes illegal.

“It’s based on what’s legal and what’s not legal. That’s legal, marijuana is not legal. Obviously it’s bad these guys who have abused steroids earlier on in their career. That’s what’s so terrible amongst all the other things you find out that’s good and what’s bad about using steroids, these young, talented guys who are full of testosterone already, go in and start abusing these drugs. Now, when you get up to your late 20s, which should be your prime, (and) early 30s, now you’re all screwed up because you’re off the steroids and you’ve destroyed your system forever to where your body can’t produce testosterone.

“Which is good, but we want to stop guys from taking steroids when they shouldn’t do it. No matter what short-term effects you have, the long-term effects are much worse. It’s stupid, and that’s what we’re trying to stop right now. But testosterone replacement therapy is legal.”

Dana White’s views on testosterone replacement therapy in sport, and particularly for former steroid users, represent a refreshing and compassionate contrast to the hostile and punitive attitudes towards former steroids users expressed by most individuals associated with the anti-doping establishment.

UFC Dana White supports TRT for former steroid users in MMA

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Originally published at: UFC Dana White Supports Testosterone Replacement Therapy in MMA

Q: Are SARMs (selective androgen receptor modulators) a good idea to add to your post cycle therapy (PCT)? And if so, why do you not see them being used during PCT by many people? And lastly, does anyone think SARMs are going to eventually replace anabolic steroids? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

A: I don’t think they are good to add to PCT.

I haven’t found any evidence that any SARM gives less suppression for given anabolic effect than is the case for anabolic steroids such as say Primobolan, Masteron, or oxandrolone.

I know I’m beating this point into the ground but it’s something that others just don’t say enough — actually I virtually never, anywhere, see people making this point except where the subject at hand is statistics: The phrases “no significant (x) was found” or even “There was no change in (x)” appearing in scientific papers are basically weasel language. The technical meaning is VERY different than what it could appear to mean.

The meaning is only that, because of random variation and the small number of subjects, no effect COULD have been detected that smaller than some given amount — which sometimes is quite large! — and the study found that they saw no effect of at least that size.

It does not at all mean that a very substantial, important effect may not have occurred!

For whatever reason, many scientists prefer to write in a manner that makes it appear that there most likely was no effect without telling directly how large or small their threshold of detection was. I guess it’s better sounding to omit “But we couldn’t have found any effect smaller than X anyway,” particularly where X is a large amount!

So you can have reports in scientific literature such as anabolic steroids, at the dose studied, providing NO muscle mass gains or performance enhancement.

Correct conclusion, what change there was, they couldn’t detect to statistical significance. Not the the benefit may not be significant, in the sense we may mean the word!

All that was to bring some sense to the fact that a study can, with this way of using words, make it appear that SARMs are non-inhibitory whether or not that is so.

I don’t at all think that that is the case. Taking a SARM during PCT is I think the equivalent of taking a pharmaceutical anabolic steroid during PCT.

In some instances a careful use can make sense, but in general, it sets back recovery.

And even in those instances, I’d just use the anabolic steroid.

(Editor’s note: For more discussion, see “SARMs S4 and PCT?“.

Ask Bill Roberts about anabolic steroids

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Originally published at: SARMs for Post Cycle Therapy?

Researchers at Kingston University in London have discovered that drinking green tea or white tea can help steroid-using athletes beat a commonly used anti-doping test. Declan Naughton and colleagues reported that compounds known as catechins may allow athletes to use the anabolic steroid “testosterone” and avoid detection.

The testosterone:epitestosterone ratio (T:E ratio) test is frequently used to screen drug-tested athletes for the exogenous administration of testosterone. It determines the ratio of testosterone glucuronide to epitestosterone glucoronide in an athlete’s urine.

Exogenous administration of testosterone does not influence the levels of epitestosterone. Therefore, a testosterone-using athlete should have a higher ratio of testosterone metabolites in their urine when compared to epitestosterone.

The catechins found in green tea inhibit an enzyme called UGT2B17. This enzyme is responsible for attaching glucuronic acid to testosterone. By inhibiting UGT2B17, an athlete will excrete less testosterone glucoronide in their urine. This will help a testosterone-using athlete produce a normal ratio.

Most individuals have a ratio of 1:1 testosterone to epitestosterone. But ratios as high as 4:1 are not uncommon. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) considers a ratio of 4:1 to be a putative indicator of doping subject to confirmation by another anti-doping procedure known as carbon isotope ratio (CIR) testing.

The T:E ratio test can not tell the difference between testosterone produced by the body and testosterone that has been introduced via injections, pills or creams.

CIR testing can detect exogenous testosterone of plant origin. However, if athletes are able to successfully pass the T:E ratio test, they are not subject to the more definitive CIR test.

Therefore, if athletes can avoid detection in the T:E ratio test, they can get away with the administration of exogenous testosterone.

While green tea may provide another method for athletes to beat the T:E ratio test, athletes have regularly beat the T:E ratio screen through other means.

Professor Charles Yesalis, a noted steroid expert and epidemiologist at Pennsylvania State University, has long been outspoken about the so-called “testosterone loophole“.

Even Don Catlin, the former director of UCLA’s Olympic Analytical Testing Lab and founder of the Anti-Doping Research Institute, has acknowledged that athletes can use testosterone without getting caught even though anti-doping testers know how they do it.

“I could figure out how to take a fair amount of testosterone and you’d never catch me, and if I can say that, a lot of others can too,” admitted Catlin.

Athletes simply add epitestosterone to their drug protocol in order to maintain the 4:1 ratio. However, they must keep the absolute levels of urinary testosterone gluconoride and epitestosterone gluconoride below the 200ng/mL limit allowed by WADA.

“The cream” used by BALCO a decade ago was simply a variation of the testosterone and epitestosterone cocktail that had been historically used by athletes for decades to fool drug testers.

BALCO athletes used a unique transdermal delivery system to administer a customized testosterone and epitestosterone formula. One gram of “the Cream” contained 5 milligrams epitestosterone for every 100 milligrams of testosterone in a 1:20 ratio according to Victor Conte. This allowed BALCO athletes to use testosterone without getting caught.

Even after the $60+ million government investigation into BALCO, the $20 million Mitchell report on steroid use by MLB players and the sensationalistic Congressional hearings on steroid in baseball and other professional sports, the “testosterone loophole” has not been closed. The “cream” is just as effective as ever for a professional baseball player.

As if the T:E ratio test didn’t suck enough as an effective anti-doping tool, four years ago researchers at the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm discovered that some athletes can inject impressive amounts of testosterone and not fail the T:E ratio if they lacked the gene that produces the UGT2B17 enzyme.

Approximately 40% of these “genetically gifted” athletes could take a whopping injection of 500mg of testosterone enanthate without raising flags from current WADA doping controls.

And this genetic anomaly is relatively common and is more common in certain ethnic groups. Thus, an athlete’s ethnicity may give them a doping advantage.

• 78.0% – Mulatto (Brazilian)
• 66.7% – Eastern Asian (Korean)
• 57.3% – Cape Colored (Cape Town, South Africa)
• 37.6% – Mexican Mestizo
• 30.4% – Asian Pacific (Southeast Asian/Southern Chinese, Asian Indian, Japanese)
• 29.1% – Black (African Americans, African Blacks, South/Central American Blacks)
• 9.3% – White Caucasian (Swedish)
• 3.5% – White Caucasian (primarily European)

Four years ago, I asked “Could there be a rogue chemist who discovered a pharmaceutical drug that can block the UGT2B17 enzyme?” I guess a rogue chemist wasn’t required. Little did I know that green tea or white tea could effectively block UGT2B17. While the UGT2B17-blocking effect of green tea is news to the scientific community, somehow I suspect this “secret” has been common knowledge in some elite athletic circles.

The use of testosterone remains one of the most popular methods used by steroid-using athletes to avoid detection. The “testosterone loophole” will continue to be exploited as long as the T:E ratio test is used as the primary screen for testosterone use.

Green tea helps athletes get away with using testosterone

Source:

Jenkinson, C. et al. (2012). Dietary green and white teas suppress UDP-glucuronosyltransferase UGT2B17 mediated testosterone glucuronidation. Steroids. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.steroids.2012.02.023

The anabolic steroid testosterone can be used by athletes to enhance athletic performance and muscle growth. UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT2B17) is the key enzyme involved in the glucuronidation of testosterone to testosterone glucuronide, which also serves as a marker for the testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio detect testosterone abuse in sport. Inhibitors of testosterone glucuronidation could have an impact on circulating testosterone levels, thus aiding performance, as well as potentially affecting the urinary T/E ratio and therefore masking testosterone abuse. Previous reports have revealed that non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs, diclofenac and ibuprofen, inhibit the UGT2B17 enzyme. The aim of this study is to analyse dietary tea samples for inhibition of testosterone glucuronidation and, where inhibition is present, to identify the active compounds. Analysis of testosterone glucuronidation was conducted by performing UGT2B17 assays with detection of un-glucuronidated testosterone using high performance liquid chromatography. The results from this study showed that testosterone glucuronidation was inhibited by the green and white tea extracts, along with specific catechin compounds, notably: epicatechin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and catechin gallate. The IC50 inhibition value for EGCG was determined, using a Dixon plot, to be 64 μM, equalling the most active NSAID inhibitor diclofenac. Thus, common foodstuffs and their constituents, for the first time, have been identified as inhibitors of a key enzyme involved in testosterone glucuronidation. Whilst these common compounds are not substrates of the UGT2B17 enzyme, we showed that they inhibit testosterone glucuronidation which may have implications on current doping control in sport.

Conte, Victor. (VictorConte). “”The cream” contained 5 mgs per gram of epitestosterone, so the T/E ratio was 20 to 1 RT @millardbaker: @VictorConte how much epi-t.” 27 Feb 12, 9:09 a.m. Tweet.

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Originally published at: Green Tea Helps Steroid-Using Athletes Beat Anti-Doping Test

Q: I was talking with a friend of mine at the gym today who is a very experienced bodybuilder and trainer. He basically informed that the more “juice” you do over time, the more steroids you will require in the future. Do you have to “continually” up the dosage amount to keep or gain more muscle?

A: I don’t myself agree with a principle of needed dose being related to past usage, though things can work out where it can appear that way.

Rather, for any given hormonal status and a given individual, there is only so much that the body can attain with let’s-say near-optimal training and nutrition. Another slightly different way of looking at it is, only so much the body can attain in a given time frame such as say 6 months of further dedicated training.

If where you are now is far from that point, then your gains to to near that point can be fast. The farther away you are, the faster your gains can be, or alternately the less-extreme the hormonal envirornment will need to be for you to still have fast gains.

Another way of putting it: If you’re stagnant at X pounds in lean condition despite great training and nutrition and your use has been say 1 gram per week of steroids and no peptides, then if you want fast further gains you are going to have to step it up. Not really because of past use, but because X pounds is where your body reaches a homeostasis point with that amount of drugs and good training.

But if X pounds is where you would wind up at that usage level, or did wind up in the past but have since backslid, however you are now thirty lb less than that in lean condition, then you could make fast gains even with say 750 mg/week. Regardless that you might have used any higher amount in the past.

Does this have anything to do with your article written in 1998 about androgen receptor upregulation?

Not so much, it’s more a matter of there being no “record,” so to speak, kept in the body of what drugs have been used before and how much, and more importantly that rate of growth does wind up being very much related to how far away one is from what would be the experienced “set-point” for the drugs being used.

By set-point, I mean a muscular size where the body tends to settle into a homeostasis and neither lose muscle nor readily gain more.

When well under that point, gains are fast… when very near it, gains will not be fast or at least not for any extended period of time. (There could be a brief burst.)

For most this is very important when having already made a lot of gains past a very solid naturally-build base — or a huge amount of gains if having gone straight to steroids or nearly so — and having used only modest doses such as say 500 mg/week. In that case, absolutely having reached or nearly reached an apparent limit for that amount of drugs will mean that using more steroids can give very considerably more drugs.

Less so, but still true, at say 750 mg/wee; still less so but still true at say 1000 mg/week. If really having put in the time and quality work and nutrition at 1000 mg/week and having plateau’d, doubling up can make a further difference though not so great a difference.

Where the article is relevant is that it used to be believed in bodybuilding that receptors were damaged or permanently downregulated by high dose use, and that is not the case.

So let’s say a steroid novice goes and does a 2000 mg/week cycle and doesn’t build himself to anything like what he could with time achieve with even 750 mg/week.

Some would be concerned, and the article explains why not, that his 2000 mg/week usage ruined him and now he couldn’t respond to anything less than that. Not so: he can still achieve on say 750 mg/week just as much as he ever could on that dosage.

Ask Bill Roberts about anabolic steroids

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The latest debacle involving Jose Canseco has overshadowed a legitimate issue facing professional and Olympic sports – the prospect of middle-aged athletes being prescribed testosterone to combat the negative consequences arising from hypogonadism. The conversation hasn’t been about the “use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in sports.” It has been about “Jose Canseco the steroid user”.

The TRT issue has been summarily dismissed by practically every sportswriter who has covered Canseco’s attempted comeback to Major League Baseball via the Mexican Baseball League.

Canseco reportedly was on the verge of being signed by the “Tigres de Quintana Roo” of Cancun until he revealed that he was using testosterone cypionate and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) as part of a testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) protocol.

Cuauhtémoc Rodríguez Meza, the CEO of the Tigres, told ESPN Deportes that he was aware that Canseco was on TRT and welcomed his return to the team once he could justify his use of testosterone for therapeutic reasons.

But the mainstream media in the United States characterized the Canseco story as one of a former steroid user busted for doping once again. “Once a steroid user always a steroid user” was the general gist of the headlines. Few sportswriters were willing to recognize the possibility that Canseco may actually have a legitimate requirement for TRT.

Even Canseco’s ghostwriter for his book “Juiced” mercilessly attacked Canseco over the latest steroid escapade. You would think that if there was anyone in the world who would give Canseco the benefit of a doubt and believe his TRT story, it would have been Steve Kettman.

“Jose Canseco… is still apparently juicing like mad to try to keep himself jacked up enough to swing and miss with regularity down in the Mexican League,” Kettman wrote in an essay on Huffington Post. “Or was until he got busted.”

Canseco has posted prolifically on Twitter using the social media platform to defend himself against doping accusations.

“I just want to play baseball. It’s real simple. I don’t want to use steroids,” according to Canseco. “They put me on testosterone therapy because medically I need it. I can’t live without it. Believe me I don’t want to do it.”

Canseco has suggested that Paul Budnick, M.D., founder and medical director of the Anti-Aging Institute of Arizona, has been the physician treating him for hypogonadism for the past few years. He provided a note from Dr. Budnick that gave Canseco his authorization to “travel with needles & syringes for medication prescribed by medical doctor. Testosterone Cyp / HCG”.

The fact that Canseco is on TRT should come as no surprise. His problems with low testosterone and low libido resulting from anabolic steroid induced hypogonadism (ASIH) were painfully documented in the documentary “Jose Canseco: The Last Shot” that was broadcast on the A&E  cable network in October 2008.

Low testosterone is a problem that faces millions of American middle-aged men even when they have no history of prior steroid use.

Of course, Canseco reportedly used anabolic steroids for 24 years. The severity of the hypogonadism was likely compounded by Canseco’s long-term steroid use.

The Canseco TRT issue raises important questions for middle-aged athletes competing in drug-tested sports.

Should they be permitted to use banned performance-enhancing drugs if they have a medical diagnosis which indicates their use?

Contrary to what many people seem to think, most drug-tested sports do allow athletes to use anabolic steroids if they qualify for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE). The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Major League Baseball (MLB) both have procedures in place for athletes to request permission to use steroids when medically indicated.

The Independent Program Administrator of MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program is responsible for reviewing an athlete’s medical records and determining whether the otherwise banned performance-enhancing drug is medically necessary.

And MLB has allowed a few players to use injectable and/or topical testosterone as a treatment for hypogonadism.

Three MLB players were given the green flag to “dope” with testosterone in 2008 and one player was permitted to use the steroid in 2009.

The real questions surrounding the Jose Canseco – steroid controversy involve why Canseco did not seek a therapeutic use exemption.

What steps are required by Canseco to justify his use of steroids?

What is the process by which an athlete obtains a TUE in the Mexican Baseball League?

Are athletes required to follow the TUE process specified by the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program since the Mexican Baseball League is a triple-A league sanctioned by Minor League Baseball (MiLB)?

Or are athletes in the Mexican Baseball League required to follow the anti-doping rules established by Mexico’s National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport (CONADE)?

Of course, sports writers aren’t interested in asking the real questions. They would rather jump on the anti-steroid bandwagon and lash out at the man who personifies the evils of baseball’s steroid era.

Jose Canseco on testosterone replacement therapy in his baseball comeback attempt

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Originally published at: Jose Canseco and Testosterone Replacement Therapy