news feature A storm over steroids Until last year, few people — apart from scientific contain traces of nandrolone — even though it is tested above the threshold for 19-norandrosterone: specialists and those associated with top-level not mentioned on the labelling. Cadogan at 10.6 ng ml11; Walker at 12.6 ng ml11; sport — had heard of nandrolone. But in the run- Nandrolone is just one of many synthetic and Christie at 200 ng ml11. With the backing of UK up to the Sydney games, this anabolic steroid has anabolic steroids used in medicine. But they can Athletics, which had cleared them of nandrolone repeatedly hit the headlines following the also be used by athletes, and nandrolone has long abuse, the athletes’ arguments rested on revelation that some of track and field’s biggest been on the International Olympic Committee’s list unpublished research conducted by Ron Maughan, names have tested positive for the drug — among of banned substances. The test used to identify a physiologist at the University of Aberdeen and a them Linford Christie, 100-metres sprint champion the cheats uses mass spectrometry to detect the nutritionist for the British Olympic team. at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics (pictured). main metabolite of nandrolone, 19- In a project commissioned by UK Athletics and The resulting controversy has seen the norandrosterone, in athletes’ urine. the IAAF, Maughan studied several athletes who accused athletes and their lawyers question the Human urine can contain tiny quantities of had tested positive for nandrolone and a group of work of the antidoping scientists and has set naturally produced 19-norandrosterone. So the physically active, healthy volunteers. The subjects Britain’s athletics federation against its IOC-accredited scientists who devised the were not monitored continuously, and Maughan international parent body. It has also nandrolone test conducted validation studies to does not place too much emphasis on the results drawn attention to the nutritional determine threshold levels of the compound above from the athletes — who may have had a vested supplements consumed by top which an individual can reliably be assumed to interest in the study’s results. More important, he TONY DUFFY/ALLSPORT TONY athletes, some of which have taken the drug or one of its precursors. says, are the findings from the healthy volunteers These have been set at 2 nanograms per millilitre who consumed large quantities of the sort of food for men, and 5 ng ml11 for non-pregnant women. supplements used by athletes. First, Maughan The current controversy centres on the validity of tested three volunteers and found that the one who these thresholds, with accused athletes — and had exercised that day tested above the threshold UK Athletics, which took over as the sport’s for the nandrolone tests. In a follow-up study, in governing body in Britain after the British which ten volunteers were given supplements and Athletics Federation went bankrupt — arguing told to exercise, five tested above the threshold. that individuals could record results above the Maughan stresses that his results are thresholds without taking any banned preliminary. “This is at a very early stage and we substance. recognize we need more information,” he says. Some athletes have appealed Given this, and questions surrounding the precise successfully against positive nandrolone methods used, the IAAF panel rejected the British tests. In July, the Jamaican sprinter athletes’ appeal. Wilhelm Schänzer, director of the Merlene Ottey was cleared by an IOC-accredited doping control lab in Cologne, International Amateur Athletic which conducted Christie’s positive test, argues Federation (IAAF) arbitration that the nandrolone test threshold has been panel after questions were subject to extensive validation. “We have data raised about the way her from hundreds of thousands of samples,” he says. positive test was done. In These data have not been published, but Schänzer particular, it emerged that adds that a French study on 30 healthy men5 Ottey was dehydrated found a maximum urinary concentration of 19- when she gave her norandrosterone of 0.32 ng ml11. sample — which Some positive nandrolone tests could be the would have elevated result of athletes buying contaminated nutritional the concentration of supplements. Maughan could find no trace of 19-norandrosterone in nandrolone or related compounds in the her urine — and this supplements his volunteers consumed. But several had not been taken into antidoping laboratories, including Schänzer’s, have account. analysed such supplements, procured from Appeals that seek athletes or from suppliers advertising on the to undermine the basis Internet, and found traces of nandrolone or its for the thresholds are precursors not mentioned on the labelling. “We much more ambitious. informed the IOC and the doping control officials of But that is what the different sports federations, but so far only the Christie and two other international cycling federation has responded by British athletes, formally advising its members against using European 200-metres nutritional supplements,” says Schänzer. champion Dougie Although it might seem harsh to take Walker and 400- sanctions against those who may have metres hurdler Gary inadvertently consumed a banned substance, the Cadogan, tried to do rules state that it is the responsibility of athletes to last month, when their ensure that they remain clean. The antidoping cases were heard by scientists’ job, says Schänzer, “is to say whether an IAAF arbitration or not certain substances are in the body, not how panel. All three had they might have come to get there”. 126 © 2000 Macmillan Magazines Ltd NATURE | VOL 407 | 14 SEPTEMBER 2000 | www.nature.com.