June 7, 1999
Volume 2, Number 11
Research Update
by Bryan Haycock MSc., CSCS
bryan@thinkmuscle.com
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on this article.
As we approach the new millennium we find the science of building
muscle progressing faster than ever before. Long gone are the days of
simple trial and error when it comes to building muscle. The modern
bodybuilder demands more than just "hear say" if they are to
adopt a new training routine or nutritional supplement. This column was
created to keep today’s bodybuilder on the cutting edge of scientific
research that might benefit them in their quest for body perfection.
Special Update on Androstenedione!
Andro 6Ô undergoes clinical trials.
Title(s):
1) Acute effects of oral anabolic-androgenic supplements on blood
androgen and estrogen levels in man.
2) Oral anabolic-androgenic supplements during resistance
training: Effects on serum testosterone and estrogen concentrations.
3) Oral anabolic-androgenic supplements during resistance
training: Effects on body composition and muscle strength.
4) Oral anabolic-androgenic supplements during resistance
training: Effects on glucose tolerance, insulin action, and blood
lipids.
Researchers:
1) Parsons KA, Sharp RL, FACSM, Brown GA, Reifenrath TA, Uhl NL,
& King DS, FACSM
2) King DS, FACSM, Sharp RL, FACSM, Brown GA, Reifenrath TA,
& Uhl NL.
3) Reifenrath TA, Sharp RL, FACSM, Brown GA, Uhl NL, & King
DS, FACSM.
4) Brown GA, Reifenrath TA, Uhl NL, Sharp RL, FACSM, & King
DS, FACSM.
1, 2, 3, 4) Department of Health and Human Performance, Iowa
State University, Ames, IA.
Source: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 31(5 Supp):
May 1999
Summary:
1) Acute effects of anabolic-androgenic supplement on serum
androstenedione, testosterone, and estradiol: On three separate days
assigned in random order, 10 college age males took a placebo (PL), 50
mg DHEA, or Andro 6Ô (AN6). AN6
contains 100 mg androstenedione, 50 mg DHEA, 250 mg Tribulus terrestris,
250 mg Chrysin, 100 mg Indole-3-carbinol, and 180 mg Saw palmetto. The
results are as follows:
(* indicates statistical significance)
Serum Androstenedione, nM
Time (min) |
Placebo |
DHEA |
Andro 6Ô |
0 |
8 +/- 1 |
11 +/- 3 |
9 +/- 1 |
60 |
8 +/- 1 |
28 +/- 3* |
9 +/- 1 |
180 |
10 +/- 1 |
22 +/- 1* |
21 +/- 2* |
360 |
9 +/- 1 |
16 +/- 1 |
21 +/- 2* |
Serum Testosterone, pM
Time (min) |
Placebo |
DHEA |
Andro 6Ô |
0 |
90 +/- 6 |
81 +/- 7 |
74 +/- 6 |
60 |
74 +/- 6 |
81 +/- 6 |
72 +/- 4 |
180 |
79 +/- 9 |
77 +/- 8 |
75 +/- 7 |
360 |
90 +/- 12 |
82 +/- 8 |
79 +/- 9 |
2) Effects of anabolic-androgenic supplement on serum
testosterone and estrogen concentrations during 8 weeks of resistance
training: Subjects performed 3 workouts per week for 8 weeks. Throughout
the 8 weeks period subjects consumed either placebo (PL) 150 mg DHEA, or
Andro 6Ô (AN6). AN6 supplied a
total of 300 mg androstenedione, 150 mg DHEA, 750 mg Tribulus
terrestris, 625 mg Chrysin, 300 mg Indole-3-carbinol, and 540 mg Saw
palmetto daily. The results are as follows:
Changes in Androgens and Estrogens over 8 weeks
|
Androstene
(dione) |
T |
DHT |
Estradiol |
Estrones |
Placebo |
No change |
No change |
No change |
No change |
No change |
DHEA |
25% increase |
No change |
No change |
No change |
No change |
Andro 6Ô |
130-160% increase |
No change |
~80% increase |
~30% increase |
~60% increase |
3) Effects of anabolic-androgenic supplement on body composition
and muscle strength during 8 weeks of resistance training: Subjects
performed 3 workouts per week for 8 weeks. Throughout the 8 week period
subjects consumed either placebo (PL) 150 mg DHEA, or Andro 6Ô (AN6). AN6 supplied a total of 300 mg
androstenedione, 150 mg DHEA, 750 mg Tribulus terrestris, 625 mg
Chrysin, 300 mg Indole-3-carbinol, and 540 mg Saw palmetto daily. The
results are as follows:
Changes in Strength and Body Composition over 8 weeks
|
|
Placebo |
DHEA |
Andro 6Ô |
Strength:
Knee Extension |
|
42% increase |
43% increase |
32% increase |
Lean Mass (kg) |
Before |
63.1+/- 2.6 |
64.5 +/- 3.9 |
63.8 +/- 3.5 |
|
After |
66.0 +/- 2.5 |
68.4 +/- 3.7 |
66.1 +/- 3.6 |
Fat Mass (kg) |
Before |
18.0 +/- 2.9 |
21.4 +/- 4.2 |
21.3 +/- 3.1 |
|
After |
17.2 +/- 2.9 |
19.9 +/- 4.6 |
20.3 +/- 2.8 |
4) Effects of anabolic-androgenic supplement on glucose
tolerance, blood lipid profile, and liver function during 8 weeks of
resistance training: Subjects performed 3 workouts per week for 8 weeks.
Throughout the 8 week period subjects consumed either placebo (PL) 150
mg DHEA, or Andro 6Ô (AN6). AN6
supplied a total of 300 mg androstenedione, 150 mg DHEA, 750 mg Tribulus
terrestris, 625 mg Chrysin, 300 mg Indole-3-carbinol, and 540 mg Saw
palmetto daily.
Results: The area under the glucose curve during a 75 gram
OGTT was unaffected by training or supplementation. The area under the
insulin curve was reduced similarly under all conditions. Serum HDL-C
was reduced at 2 weeks in AN6 group and remained lowered at 5 and 8
weeks indicating increased cardiovascular risk associated with AN6
supplementation.
Discussion: Boy, where do I start? Let’s start with the first
investigation. Initial reports of the acute effects of androstenedione
(ANDRO) on serum testosterone (T) indicated that ANDRO significantly
raised T levels at least for the first hour or so. An often sited study
in the 60's by Mahesh and Greenblatt involved giving women a 100 mg dose
of DHEA or ANDRO. The results showed that an acute oral dose of DHEA
raised serum T nearly 150%. The same dose of ANDRO raised serum T nearly
300% in the first 60 minutes! This was great news to all bodybuilders
with aspirations of drug-like gains from a legal substance. An important
issue about the Mahesh study is that it involved women. It has been
shown that women convert ANDRO to T more readily than men. It could also
be that the relative scarcity of T in women’s serum (~1 tenth of that
found in men) make any increases by ANDRO seem very large. Another study
sited in a patent filed by German researchers involved administering
oral doses of 50 mg and 100 mg of androstenedione to men. They reported
that the 50 mg dose raised T levels by ~160%. The 100 mg dose raised T
levels by ~220%. In the present study, funded by Experimental and
Applied Sciences (EAS®), which also produces the product
Andro 6Ô which was used in the
study, there was no apparent effect of 100 mg ANDRO on T levels during any
time within 360 minutes. It’s difficult to explain this discrepancy.
So what’s the problem here? Why are these recently published
results in contrast with earlier studies? Pat Arnold has mentioned that
perhaps the DHEA in Andro 6Ô is
being converted to 5-androstenediol by way of 17ß-HSD. This is the same enzyme needed for
the conversion of androstenedione to T. With a limited supply of 17ß-HSD, DHEA may hinder ANDRO’s ability
to be converted to T. More detailed studies are needed to determine if
this is the case with products that contain both DHEA and ANDRO.
In study # 2, researchers looked to see if Andro 6Ô would have any effect on serum
testosterone and estrogen concentrations during 8 weeks of resistance
training. The results do not bode well for Andro 6Ô. There was no increase in T at any time during
the 8 week trial. Not only that, but there was an 80% increase in DHT as
well as a 60% increase in serum estrones and a 30% increase in
estradiol. Ouch!
It appears that the saw palmetto in Andro 6Ô either had no effect on 5a-reductase
or it simply was insufficient to compensate for the large increase in
androstenedione. Remember that androstenedione can be converted directly
to DHT. In case some of you haven’t been reading up on the many
effects of androgens, DHT stands for dihydrotestosterone. DHT is an
extremely potent androgen (probably the king of androgens) and is
responsible for hair loss and prostate growth and a host of other
developmental changes throughout the embryonic stages as well as
puberty. The saw palmetto in Andro 6Ô
is supposed to block the enzyme that converts T into DHT. In this
experiment, it didn’t work, or in any case, not well enough.
Indole-3-carbinol is an ingredient that was supposed to protect
against the effects of estrogens by increasing the activity of degradive
pathways (the C2 pathway I believe) leading to less problematic estrogen
metabolites. Specifically it decreases the formation of 16
alpha-hydroxyestrone from estrone as well as decrease the availability
of some androgens like 4-androstenedione which will then not be turned
into estrone. In experiment number 2 Indole-3-carbinol didn’t seem to
be effective. Then again, the estrone levels may have been even higher
without the Indole in there.
There is one thing I should mention about androstenedione and its
conversion to estrogen and body composition. It has been shown that the
more body fat you have, the greater the aromatization of androstenedione
to estrone and estradiol. When normal and obese subjects were compared
as groups, plasma androstenedione decreased from 1.24 +/- 0.13 to 0.93
+/- 0.15 ng/ml and plasma testosterone decreased from 5.89 +/- 0.82 to
3.29 +/- 0.92 ng/ml, while estrone increased from 28.2 +/- 3.4 to 60.0
+/- 9.4 pg/ml, and estradiol increased from 21.7 +/- 3.5 to 43.9 +/- 5.3
pg/ml. So when comparing obese and normal subjects, testosterone is cut
in half while estrone and estradiol are doubled. This increased
aromatization occurs as a result of increased adipose tissue. So if your
already heavy (fat) androstenedione is not the way to go.
In study # 3 we find out whether Andro 6Ô is effective at increasing muscle growth and/or
decreasing body fat as well as it’s effects on strength.
Unfortunately, Andro 6Ô didn’t
effect strength, muscle growth, or fat loss. All groups showed similar
changes in body composition and strength. In fact the gains in muscle
for all groups were quite impressive, if we assume the gain in lean mass
consisted of contractile tissue. The increase in lean mass could
alternatively be explained by expected changes in blood volume and
glycogen storage which could easily add 4 pounds or so to a previously
untrained subject. In summary, the Andro 6Ô
group took their supplements, trained their butts off and nothing out of
the ordinary happened.
In the final installment of these Andro 6Ô trials, researchers looked that effects of Andro 6Ô on cholesterol and insulin sensitivity.
As you might begin to expect after the previous trials, Andro 6Ô provided all of the negative effects of
androgens and none of the beneficial effects. HDLs (good cholesterol)
went down within 2 weeks in the Andro 6Ô
group and stayed low throughout the following 6 weeks of the trial. Look
at it this way, at least the increased estrogens produced by Andro 6Ô may help protect against the increased
cardiovascular risks associated with decreased HDL levels. I guess the
good news is that Andro 6Ô did not
negatively effect insulin sensitivity.
I have to tell you that I was surprised when I read these abstracts.
I happen to be an optimist when it comes to supplements. I really wanted
to see that androstenedione products had some benefit for
bodybuilders. At least Mark McGuire’s agent can use these results to
prove that he gained no ergogenic effect from taking his
androstenedione.
So what’s left? Well, for starters we need to see some trials on
4-androstenediol (4-AD). It may be true that 4-AD is converted to T 3
times more readily than androstenedione, but the significance of this is
still to be determined in human trials. There are several reasons to
believe that 4-AD is a much more effective approach to increasing
endogenous T levels. In light of the current evidence against androstenedione
I will remain very conservative in my expectations of 4-AD or the
Norandro products for that matter.
Despite being hopeful about the potential of prohormones, one issue
bothers me about raising testosterone levels "only slightly"
above normal. Research with animals shows that sustained delivery of
androstanedione significantly reduces testicular function and
mass including seminal vesicles and that Leydig cells were not only
reduced in size but also in number. Your Leydig cells are responsible
for testicular production of testosterone. The end result is more
androstanedione and less testosterone.
I’m sure you have heard of testosterone enanthate being used for
birth control in men. You may also know that this kind of very low dose
of testosterone seldom leads to noticeable changes in muscle growth in
men with normal testosterone levels. The reason is that only enough
testosterone is given to reduce the body’s endogenous production of
sperm by negative feedback at the anterior pituitary which results in
lower gonadotropin secretion. Until the body responds to the additional
testosterone there may be some benefit, but shortly there after your
testosterone levels are actually close to normal beings that you are
simply replacing the testosterone that your body used to produce
with the low levels injections of test enanthate. You are simply
replacing what you lose! For testosterone to be effective it has to be
administered in sufficient quantities not only to replace your natural
production but also to provide sufficient activity of androgen receptors
in muscle cells to elicit muscle growth.
It could be that although 4-AD may lead to higher testosterone
levels, this increase may only be sufficient to shut down the system
leaving you right where you started (or worse). Yes, very brief cycles
may be the way to go to avoid this. We also mustn’t forget that this
subtle increase in testosterone still may not be sufficient to elicit
noticeable anabolism. I eagerly await the publication of peer reviewed
studies involving 4-AD and resistance trained males to answer these
questions. For now, I’m afraid the formulation of EAS®’s
Andro 6Ô does not offer any
benefits to male resistance trained subjects under the conditions used
in these recent studies.
Note: There was another study recently released,
in abstract form only, indicating that sublingual administration of
androstenedione does indeed result in increased blood levels of
androstenedione. These researchers speculated that testosterone levels
may have increased during a period beyond 60 minutes. Unfortunately,
these researchers did not measure testosterone levels during the period
after 60 minutes.
Please send us your feedback
on this article.
by Bryan Haycock MSc., CSCS
bryan@thinkmuscle.com
|