ABSTRACT
Androstenedione (chemical name: 4-androsten-3,17dione) is a steroid hormone produced primarily in the reproductive system and adrenal glands in men and women. It circulates in the bloodstream and is the immediate precursor to the potent anabolic= androgenic hormone testosterone in the steroid synthesis pathway. Despite this well-known physiologic classification, as well as a growing body of evidence demonstrating that orally administered androstenedione is converted to more potent steroid hormones, the United States Food and Drug Administration has classified the hormone as a ‘‘dietary supplement.’’ As such, it is available to the general public without a prescription and can be easily purchased in health clubs, nutrition stores, and over the Internet.
