Dietary Supplements: Do They Add Strength?

Did a popular dietary supplement help St. Louis Cardinal slugger Mark McGwire break baseball's home run record? There is no evidence either way, according to David Pearson, a researcher at the Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University, Muncie, Ind., speaking for the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He says the NSCA's position is that more research is needed to determine whether supplements such as androstenedione actually enhance athletic performance.

McGwire's pursuit of the home run record was tainted to some extent by reports that he uses the testosterone-producing supplement androstenedione. Although the over-the-counter substance is banned by the National Basketball Association and National Football League, it is legal in Major League Baseball.

The NSCA's view on androstenedione, according to Pearson, chairman of its subcommittee on nutrition, is not that the jury is still out. Rather, the jury has yet to be seated. "We can't support or rebuke the effectiveness or safety of androstenedione because there is no body of scientific literature upon which to draw any conclusions."

The NSCA opposes the use of any illegal substance for the purpose of enhancing athletic...