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Clinical Chemistry 45: 163-164, 1999;
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(Clinical Chemistry. 1999;45:163-164.)
© 1999 American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Inc.

Editorials

Abnormal Testosterone:Epitestosterone Ratios after Dehydroepiandrosterone Supplementation

Robert Johnson

Family Medical Center, 5 West Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55408, Fax 612-827-9734

The interest in supplementation with testosterone precursors rose to new levels after Mark McGwire disclosed the use of androstenedione (and creatine) during his quest to overtake the 37-year-old home run record of Roger Maris. Banned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the International Olympic Committee (USOC), and the National Football League, androstenedione, an immediate testosterone precursor, is purported to increase testosterone. Studies performed in East Germany in the 1960s demonstrated transient increases in testosterone up to 300% above normal in women and to a lesser extent in men (1). Increased testosterone was so transient that experts questioned whether any anabolic effects could occur. Indeed, there is no research that shows any performance enhancement in those who have used androstenedione, anecdotal reports not withstanding.

Similarly, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has been banned by the NCAA and the USOC because of its physiological role as a testosterone precursor (2). As an adrenal androgen, DHEA acts as a steroid precursor for gonadal and peripheral testosterone and estrogen production. Once again, performance benefits for athletes are neither documented nor proven. DHEA is "guilty" by virtue of its position in the biochemistry of gonadal hormone production.

DHEA was first identified in 1934 (3). As a precursor to testosterone and estrogen, DHEA can be converted peripherally to androstenedione, testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone and aromatized to estrogen. The degree of either . . . [Full Text of this Article]


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