The `facts' on andro

More confusion and misleading conclusions from Ireland On Sunday regarding legal and illegal drugs. Citing a test in America which "proved" that androstenodione (andro) was not a performance-enhancing substance, the paper, in its strident editorial in defence of our only banned swimmer (above), forgot to include that the research it cites was funded by Experimental and Applied Sciences Inc. (EAS) of Golden Colorado - the company which distributes andro. Just a slip, of course.

While Ireland on Sunday drew massive conclusions EAS commented: "Because it is difficult to draw conclusions from any one study, EAS is committed to continued support of additional research on andro and other supplements."

Also, according to the Boston Globe on June 2nd advertisements for the banned substance recommend dosages of 500 to 1,200 milligrams while the research carried out by a Douglas King used dosages of 100 milligrams.

Finally, andro, which is a hormonal steroid (class C-19), was banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) under general specification in 1982 and specific classification in December 1997. That would seem to say to most people that andro is a little more than mother's milk.