The pancreas produces hormones and enzymes. Insulin, involved in cell absorption of glucose, is possibly the most widely discussed pancreatic hormone, because of its connection with diabetes. Athletes who take the bodybuilding supplement androstenedione are at risk for pancreatic cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned androstenedione sales in 2004. Creatine, another sport supplement, is not linked to pancreatic cancer. A third substance, DHEA, may indirectly lead to it.
About Bodybuilding Supplements
Bodybuilding supplements are minerals, herbs, vitamins, as well as natural and synthetic hormones marketed as sports products that increase muscle mass and strength, thus improving athletic performance. The FDA does not require lengthy clinical trials proving the products work before they can be sold over the counter as dietary supplements. The agency only intervenes if it becomes apparent the product poses a significant health threat, as was the case with androstenedione.
Pancreatic Cancer Overview
The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center says that 34,000 people out of 38,000 diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the time of publication will die from it. The high death rate is attributed to little government money to fund research, a lack of reliable early-detection tests and symptoms that are often misdiagnosed as related to other medical conditions. Smokers, Ashkenazi Jews, people over the age of 50 and those with a genetic predisposition have the highest risk of developing the disease. And if researchers got it right, so do those who took -- or take -- androstenedione. The FDA’s ban only affects sales within the United States and its territories. A quick online search shows that at least one Chinese company still markets the product.
About Androstenedione
Androstenedione is a steroid naturally produced by men and women, and a precursor of estrogen and testosterone. The hormone regulates sex features and growth. A male who has an abnormally high count of androstenedione may develop breasts because the substance induces estrogen production. A female in the same situation might become hairy because the making of testosterone is also stimulated. In addition, androstenedione can halt young adults’ growth yet instigate early puberty.
Androstenedione and Pancreatic Cancer
In a 1999 round-table discussion, sports supplement researcher Douglas King, Ph.D., said that creatine bodybuilding supplements were safe while androstenedione produced dangerous side effects, including a high risk of pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, Dr. King explained that the use of DHEA, another bodybuilding product, raised the level of androstenedione in the bloodstream, thus indirectly contributing to the increased chance of pancreatic cancer development. The connection between the disease and the steroid hormone lies in the fact that your body produces more estrogen than normal in the presence of androstenedione. Ultimately, it is the surplus estrogen that can provoke cancer growth in the pancreas, not androstenedione. A study published in the “Journal of Surgical Research” in 2007 reached a conclusion similar to Dr. King’s. Researchers observed that pancreatic cancer cells multiplied when exposed to estrogen. As they put it, the cells “were highly estrogen sensitive.” Yet, neither the A.P. John Institute for Cancer Research nor the Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center lists high estrogen as a risk factor for the disease. Much research is still needed before science reaches consensus on the issue.
References
- A.P. John Institute for Cancer Research: Pancreatic Cancer
- Introduction to Sports Medicine and Athletic Training; Robert C. France
- TeensHealth: Sports Supplements
- John Hopkins Medicine: What Everyone Should Know…
- Gatorade Sports Science Institute: SSE Roundtable #37: “Muscle Builder” Supplements
- Journal of Surgical Research; Estrogen Receptor Beta/Alpha Ratio Predicts Response of Pancreatic Cancer Cells to Estrogens and Phytoestrogens
