How long has androstenedione been around?
Dr. Gary Wadler: Androstenedione’s been around a long time. There’s nothing new about Androstenedione. Androstenedione normally occurs in the body. It’s the building block that becomes testosterone. It’s one step away from testosterone. The commercial interest in Androstenedione was much less (before the enactment of a 1990 federal law designed to prevent the distribution of illegal, anabolic steroids) because the marketplace was flooded with the real thing, anabolic steroids. So it’s been around. I just don’t think there was a demand for it and I don’t think the market has seized the opportunity to promote it because it just wasn’t appreciated. Q: In your expert opinion, should Androstenedione be known as a supplement or a drug, a steroid? Wadler: Androstenedione is a steroid, always was a steroid, always will be a steroid and should be treated with utmost respect and as a drug and not as a dietary supplement. Q: Athletes who take it feel that it’s perfectly safe because it’s called a
