Mitchell Report Fallout Hits DHEA

WASHINGTONOn the heels of Major League Baseballs (MLB) expose via the 400-plus-page Mitchell Report on steroid use among players, Congress has decided to take action against pseudo-steroids, including DHEA and human growth hormone (HGH), as companion bills have surfaced proposing changes to the Anabolic Steroid Act of 2004. Congress has penciled in two hearings for January 2008 to review the performance-enhancing drug matters and requested the attendance of former Sen. George Mitchell, MLB officials and some players named in Mitchells report as steroid or HGH users. While MLB and its players association vow to work together on the recommendations from the Mitchell report, Congress is beginning to take action to curb access to HGH and DHEA, as well as increase penalties for abuse and distribution.

In introducing the Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Abuse Reduction Act of 2007 (DARA 2007), Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) wants to make it illegal to sell DHEA to minors as an over-the-counter (OTC) dietary supplement. He argued DHEA is a naturally occurring precursor to testosterone and a dietary supplement that some athletes are using as an alternative to illegal anabolic steroids.

Similarly, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced separate legislation to add HGH to the list of controlled substancesin line with anabolic steroidsmaking possession and/or distribution a felony carrying up to three years of prison.

Calling the DHEA bill a search for a problem, Steve Mister, president and CEO of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) said: There is no evidence that DHEA is being abused by minors nor is there evidence that DHEA works as a performance-enhancing product in young healthy adults. Tying this legislation to the Mitchell report on steroid and drug problems in Major League Baseball is a misdirected attempt to push through meritless legislation based on emotional rhetoric. This bill would in no way address the problem of illegal anabolic steroid use.

Mister noted the original steroid legislation applied to anabolic steroid, which converts to excess testosterone in the body. He countered DHEA is naturally occurring in the body, which tightly controls its conversion to testosterone to prevent excess levels. As for DHEA supplements, he noted CRN member companies and others voluntarily recommend on their labels that DHEA products not be used by those under 18. Experience with other consumer products repeatedly demonstrates that when age restrictions are imposed on a product, it becomes much harder for mature, responsible, and legitimate consumers to purchase the products in a convenient manner, he said. Restricting the access of DHEA would set an unacceptable precedent and would create the misimpression that DHEA deserves to be hidden behind the counter.