CLINTON ADVISER WANTS ANDRO PROBE

WASHINGTON - President Clinton's drug policy adviser wants the federal
government to investigate the health effects of
androstenedione, the over-the-counter product used by baseball slugger Mark
McGwire, who broke the single-season home-run record last year.

Barry McCaffrey wrote to the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal
Trade Commission urging that they study recent Canadian and Swedish
laboratory analyses of the product, known as andro.

Androstenedione is classified as a dietary supplement that the body
metabolizes into testosterone, which is considered a steroid. It is banned
by the Olympics, the NCAA, the NFL, and the men's and women's tennis tours,
but is not banned by baseball.

Andro soared in popularity last fall after McGwire revealed he used it to
enhance his weightlifting regimen prior to last season, when he hit a record
70 home runs. Steroid experts warn there could be serious health
consequences for teen-agers who take it to emulate McGwire.

McCaffrey asked the agencies to confirm tests by the Swedish Board of
Customs and the Canadian Doping Control Lab, which found some andro products
contained significant quantities of testosterone not mentioned on the label.

"If this is the case, a large number of Americans who are taking these
products are unwittingly placing themselves in serious jeopardy," McCaffrey
wrote.

If their review backs up the Canadian and Swedish findings, McCaffrey urged
that andro be reclassified as an anabolic steroid under the Controlled
Substances Act.

"We know this substance serves as a steroid precursor, which alone is
grounds for caution," McCaffrey said. "Given the dramatic increases in youth
use rates of andro, and the mere potential that such use may have severe
health consequences, it is important that we act swiftly."

He cited anecdotal information indicating young people are taking 200 to 300
times the recommended dosage, a practice known as "stacking," and some are
exhibiting side effects "similar to those found with steroids, such as
heightened aggressiveness and problem acne."

Its wide availability over the Internet makes it vulnerable to misuse, he
noted.