Prohormone - Regulation in The United States and Europe

Regulation in The United States and Europe

Following the introduction of the Anabolic Steroid Control Act, labeling products derived from plant extracts with the help of chemical symbols of organic substances found in these plants or creating names for these substances which referred to prohibited anabolic substances became a popular marketing practice employed by American manufacturers. No analogical act targeting athlete supplementation is in force in the European Union; however each country has its own regulations concerning substances with medicinal properties. Due to the above, one can come in contact with the sale of supplements with names identical to or resembling those questioned by the RDA in the United States (S-DROL, HALODROL, etc.). Laboratory controls indicate that products which declare to include prohormones, prohibited in the USA, in fact contain “classic” anabolic steroids of the previous generation. Many consumers in Europe did not know that it was illegal produce prohormones in the USA after the year 2004 and thought that were consuming various versions of the previously acclaimed supplement, while in fact consuming steroids of unknown origin. In situations like ones described above the purchaser of this fake substance knows neither the type nor the dosage of the ingested hormone, and thus cannot plan a safe gastro-protective regime or supplementary treatment. The consumer also cannot gain access to information concerning the possible long-term consequences of treatment with the unspecified hormone. This has led to the popularity of special forums on which consumers could share their experiences with the substances, yet the fake products could have radically different components, despite similar descriptions and names. Supplement manufacturers who have made a name for themselves and want to remain on the market are currently elaborating anabolic products based on natural substances (usually plant derived). In Europe these products are called prohormones.

Producers who still want to offer supplements supporting the hormonal balance can still employ the natural compounds. Known in the field of prohormones Patrick Arnold (the one who introduced 1-AD and the first prohormones) is currently working on ursolic acid, on the other hand in Eastern Europe manufacturers launch supplements based on buteins,- natural compounds considered as the strongest aromatase inhibitors