The use of anabolic steroids by professional baseball players is relatively safe especially when compared to the extreme use of anabolic steroid by professional bodybuilders. The idea that anabolic steroids can be used responsibly and safely is categorically refuted by many anti-steroid crusaders in spite of scientifically evidence to the contrary.
“Think about it: medical science has been using steroids safely in a clinical setting for the last 70 years.” Professor Charles Yesalis, steroid expert and epidemiologist at Penn State University, acknowledges that the media has overstated the dangers of steroids, “Anabolic steroids can be used relatively safely, but at even low doses they can have side effects. No drug, supplement, or substance is totally ’safe.’ Heck, you can even overdose on water.”
Modern-day steroid hysteria has so demonized and stigmatized anabolic steroids that many people are convinced that all steroid use is inherently irresponsible. The use of anabolic steroids in moderation to achieve performance enhancing results is impossible according to critics who believe the dangerous side effects far outweigh the potential benefits at any level of use. Some critics believe that even a single instance of steroid use can cause permanent and irreversible health consequences that may even include fatal steroid overdoses.
The testosterone:epitestosterone ratio (T:E ratio) test is a commonly used test designed to catch athletes who artificially manipulate their testosterone levels (usually with exogenous testosterone). The T:E ratio is routinely used in doping protocols around the world at all levels of sport.
Unfortunately, the T:E ratio is not very effective. This has been common knowledge among drug tested athletes for some time. Dan Duchaine first alerted athletes decades ago with Victor Conte concurring more recently. Anti-doping experts such as Charles Yesalis and Don Catlin have reluctantly acknowledged that this is true.
It is not very reliable. It is flawed. The T:E ratio test results in a lot of false negatives (athletes use testosterone but don’t get caught) as well as false positives (innocent athletes test positive for steroid use).
A recent study that we learned about on Trust But Verify and reported on at Steroid Report explains why the test is unreliable and ineffective.
It appears that certain genotypes are more likely to have false negatives (athletes use testosterone but don’t get caught)and other genotypes are more likely to have false positives (innocent athletes test positive for steroid use) (”Doping Test in Sports Confounded by Common Genetic Trait,” March 21).
If you’re a genetically gifted athlete (i.e. you lack the gene that produces the enzyme UGT2B17), you can take an whopping injection of at least 360 milligrams of testosterone without getting caught by the testosterone:epitestosterone ratio test (T:E ratio). This testosterone loophole in drug testing has been known by athletes for decades (anecdotally). It is nice to have solid scientific evidence to confirm it.
The 360 mg corresponds to a 500 mg intramuscular injection of testosterone enanthate. Yes, many athletes can take this quantity of the anabolic-androgenic steroid testosterone and still pass current WADA doping controls.
The T:E ratio test discriminates based on the ethnicity of the athlete subjected to the doping protocol. This little bit of information is impossible to overlook.
So, which ethnic groups are most likely to have false negatives on the T:E ratio test?
The latest study suggests as many as 40% of athletes with UGT2B17 homozygous deletion/deletion genotype can take at least 500 mg of testosterone enanthate and still maintain a 4:1 T:E ratio. The following lists various ethnic groups with the estimated percentage that possess the “doping friendly” genotype (data extracted from here and here).
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78.0% – Mulatto (Brazilian)
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66.7% – Eastern Asian (Korean)
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57.3% – Cape Colored (Cape Town, South Africa)
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37.6% – Mexican Mestizo
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30.4% – Asian Pacific (Southeast Asian/Southern Chinese, Asian Indian, Japanese)
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29.1% – Black (African Americans, African Blacks, South/Central American Blacks)
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9.3% – White Caucasian (Swedish)
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3.5% – White Caucasian (primarily European)
Yes, athletes with UGT2B17 homozygous deletion/deletion genotype are much more likely to pass a doping test if they choose to cheat (false negative). And yes, certain ethnic groups are much more likely to possess this genotype.
What should WADA do about this? Is this a problem for professional sports or high school districts that routinely use the T:E ratio test?
Two of my favorite steroid writers are John Hoberman, PhD and Charles Yesalis, PhD. I read their books. I read their articles. I have “Google Alerts” set to notify me when they are quoted by the media. I have even invited them to write for my website (and I’ve been fortunate to have Dr. Hoberman write a few feature articles for me).
Several of my friends and colleagues wonder why I enjoy works from these “anti-steroid guys.” While I may have a different perspective regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports, Dr. Yesalis and Dr. Hoberman represent the few prominent “steroid experts” that generally stay above the histrionics and scaremongering. Dr. Yesalis recently discussed the topic of steroids in an interview published on Testosterone Nation website: Read more
