CREATINE LEFT OFF IOC BANNED LIST

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) Creatine is a food and won't be added to the
IOC's list of banned drugs, the committee's top doping expert said Monday.

Prince Alexandre de Merode, the chairman of the IOC's medical commission,
said the dietary supplement used by Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa and
other athletes to help increase strength should not be lumped with
testosterone or anabolic steroids.

"Creatine is food," he said. "You can't prevent people from eating food."

Creatine, an amino acid protein that is produced naturally in humans, is
marketed as a legal alternative to anabolic steroids.

But linked with shorter-term problems such as muscle cramping and
dehydration, many national Olympic committees have been trying to get
creatine added to the IOC's banned substance list.

"You can get ill if you take too much creatine, but if a person stuffs
himself with 30 eggs or a kilo of foie gras, he'll damage his liver, too,"
de Merode said.

The official also said that the IOC was still trying to persuade major
league baseball and its players' union to ban androstenedione, which helps
produce testosterone but has been linked with a wide array of side effects
when taken in large doses over a prolonged period.

The most publicized user of androstenedione is Mark McGwire, who admitted
using the over-the-counter substance during his 70-home run season for St.
Louis last summer.

The muscle-building supplement is legal in baseball but banned by the IOC,
the NFL and the NCAA.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski