One group of individuals greatly concerned with the effect of metabolism are weight lifters and athletes. These individuals are stressing their muscles far more than the average individual; they feel a need to produce large muscles as fast as possible and to recover from injuries rapidly. Many individuals in this group seek chemical methods to increase the development and repair of their muscle tissue. A variety of products both legal and illegal have been used over the years. Recently, the compound called androstenedione and the related androstenediol have been used to increase the muscle mass of many athletes. The are commonly referred to as Andro. Thes compounds are precursors to testosterone. a male hormone. Body builders feel that increased testosterone in conjunction with weightliftng will result in faster and greater gain of muscle mass. The use of 'andro' is controversial as it's use is banned in some sports. The folowing sites have information about andro and supplements in general.
"To understand the allure of these products check out a few online marketers of 'Andro'" Until 9/13/05, our site had posted advertisements for supplements in this space. The links have been removed at the request of some of the suppliers. Apparently at least some of these have been determined to be criminal in nature.
The use of supplements by athletes has been a controversial topic for many years and will undoubtedly be a topic of interest by students for many years. Be cautious of advice given about supplements and nutrition in general. Students may have a variety of comments that they hear from sources that promote the use of these products. Good references of quality medical studies will be useful to your students and yourself.
