Though the results of the B sample have yet to be confirmed, Shoaib Akhtar
and Mohammad Asif testing positive for Nandrolone is just another peek at
the dirty subterranean world of professional sport. With cricket only
recently getting tough on drugs, you can rest assured that they won't be
the last big names to be hauled up.
What, though, is Nandrolone, and why have so many elite athletes tested
positive for it in recent years? According to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) system of nomenclature, the anabolic steroid has the name
17b-hydroxy-19-nor-4-andro-sten-3-one, and can occur naturally in the
body, albeit in minute quantities. Structurally, it's very similar to
Testosterone, the male hormone that was recently the buzz word in sports
bulletins after Floyd Landis, the Tour de France winner, tested positive
for excessive levels.
Like Testosterone and Creatine, the amino acid that Juventus's football
team were alleged to use regularly in the 1990s, Nandrolone too increases
muscle mass. It can also produce the same side-effects, like overly aggressive behaviour, as testosterone. Clinical experiments have been conducted in the past to see its
efficacy in the treatment of HIV-affected men and also for other diseases
that cause muscle wastage.
The tests for Nandrolone, which involve urine samples, are considered
positive if the level exceeds 2 nano grams per ml, the limit set by the
International Olympic Committee which is considered the maximum possible
in natural cases. Most positive tests have involved athletes with levels
hundreds of times above normal.
Those caught in the past have included Linford Christie, Olympic 100m
champion in 1996, and Petr Korda, the Czech tennis player. Football,
though, has had to endure the most scandal, with Jaap Stam, Edgar Davids,
Frank de Boer (The Netherlands), Fernando Couto (Portugal) and Josep
Guardiola (Spain) all having served bans for nandrolone use.
The testing procedures have not been without controversy though. Athletes
who have been caught have often cited the use of Creatine and the
consumption of protein shakes as the reason for positive tests. An
Aberdeen University study suggests that they may have a point. According
to that, consumption of dietary supplements in conjunction with heavy
physical training can result in the athlete returning a positive test for
Nandrolone. As with many drugs, including THG that was involved in the
infamous BALCO case, our knowledge is far from comprehensive. And as long
as that remains the case, the protestations of innocence from those caught
may just have a ring of truth to them.