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Utah's Weider Among 3 Dozen Firms Named in California Suit Saturday, August 18, 2001 BY ROBERT SALLADAY SCRIPPS-McCLATCHY
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Attorney General Bill Lockyer filed a lawsuit this week against Salt Lake City-based Weider Nutrition International Inc. and about three dozen makers of a muscle-building supplement that soared in popularity after slugger Mark McGwire admitted using it a few years ago. Lockyer contends so-called "andro" supplements are akin to anabolic steroids and should be covered under the state's Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. The voter-approved measure requires, among other things, warnings about the stunted growth, liver damage, acne, personality changes and fertility problems associated with steroids. "Without such warnings," Lockyer said, "consumers are left with the mistaken impression that they are safe since these supplements can be bought in health food stores."
The lawsuit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, requests $2,500 a-day fines against 35 companies for each "violation," which could amount to millions of dollars in penalties for selling the products without warnings. Lockyer also wants consumer alerts posted on the products or in stores where they are sold. The lawsuit targets only makers of androstenedione supplements, one of three popular sports-enhancing products that usually come in powder form. Ephedra and creatine supplements are considered stimulants but have not been shown to increase testosterone levels to possibly dangerous levels. "Andro is clearly the very most serious of these substances," said Iris D. Shaffer, executive director of the Healthy Competition Foundation, funded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield. "It has the most serious health risk because it converts to testosterone in your body. It's akin to steroids, whereas these others are a little different." The lawsuit names major andro-supplement suppliers and manufacturers throughout the United States, including Weider, Met-RX Nutrition and Concord-based Sportpharma USA and Champion Nutrition. Champion Nutrition had been the supplier of McGwire, the St. Louis Cardinals' record-breaking home run champ. McGwire's admitted use of andro products reportedly stopped after an intense public discussion about the products and their increased use by adolescents. Only a few studies have examined the health effects of andro supplements. A Harvard study last year found that andro increased testosterone levels 34 percent and estrogen hormone levels 128 percent in about two dozen healthy men who were given differing levels of andro for a single week. Increased hormone and testosterone levels can lead to a variety of changes, including enlarged breasts in men, facial hair on women, premature baldness, and an increased risk of heart disease. Kim Smith, legislative director of the National Nutritional Foods Association, which represents supplement makers and health food stores, said many of the products already contain a warning label designed to "err on the side of caution." Because of a change in federal law, andro supplements are treated as a food product, not a drug, by the Food and Drug Administration
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Attorney General Bill Lockyer filed a lawsuit this week against Salt Lake City-based Weider Nutrition International Inc. and about three dozen makers of a muscle-building supplement that soared in popularity after slugger Mark McGwire admitted using it a few years ago. Lockyer contends so-called "andro" supplements are akin to anabolic steroids and should be covered under the state's Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. The voter-approved measure requires, among other things, warnings about the stunted growth, liver damage, acne, personality changes and fertility problems associated with steroids. "Without such warnings," Lockyer said, "consumers are left with the mistaken impression that they are safe since these supplements can be bought in health food stores."
The lawsuit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, requests $2,500 a-day fines against 35 companies for each "violation," which could amount to millions of dollars in penalties for selling the products without warnings. Lockyer also wants consumer alerts posted on the products or in stores where they are sold. The lawsuit targets only makers of androstenedione supplements, one of three popular sports-enhancing products that usually come in powder form. Ephedra and creatine supplements are considered stimulants but have not been shown to increase testosterone levels to possibly dangerous levels. "Andro is clearly the very most serious of these substances," said Iris D. Shaffer, executive director of the Healthy Competition Foundation, funded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield. "It has the most serious health risk because it converts to testosterone in your body. It's akin to steroids, whereas these others are a little different." The lawsuit names major andro-supplement suppliers and manufacturers throughout the United States, including Weider, Met-RX Nutrition and Concord-based Sportpharma USA and Champion Nutrition. Champion Nutrition had been the supplier of McGwire, the St. Louis Cardinals' record-breaking home run champ. McGwire's admitted use of andro products reportedly stopped after an intense public discussion about the products and their increased use by adolescents. Only a few studies have examined the health effects of andro supplements. A Harvard study last year found that andro increased testosterone levels 34 percent and estrogen hormone levels 128 percent in about two dozen healthy men who were given differing levels of andro for a single week. Increased hormone and testosterone levels can lead to a variety of changes, including enlarged breasts in men, facial hair on women, premature baldness, and an increased risk of heart disease. Kim Smith, legislative director of the National Nutritional Foods Association, which represents supplement makers and health food stores, said many of the products already contain a warning label designed to "err on the side of caution." Because of a change in federal law, andro supplements are treated as a food product, not a drug, by the Food and Drug Administration
