Novadex XT soon to be under fire?

[CoryC]

For those of you who use Novadex XT and are thinking about competing in a drug free competition you might want to look again.

Recent studies have shown that test subjects who use ATD (also known as 1,4,6-Androstatrien-3,17-dione) have tested positive for the illegal anabolic steroid boldenone which has already caused the OCB to add the substance to their list of banned substances effective December 31, 2006.

No word has been released yet as to whether the Fed is moving in to eliminate the sale of products containing ATD which include the very popular Gaspari supplement Novadex XT.

I'm trying to stay on top of this and will post updates as they become available.

[Jerry Brainum]

Originally Posted by CoryC

For those of you who use Novadex XT and are thinking about competing in a drug free competition you might want to look again.

Recent studies have shown that test subjects who use ATD (also known as 1,4,6-Androstatrien-3,17-dione) have tested positive for the illegal anabolic steroid boldenone which has already caused the OCB to add the substance to their list of banned substances effective December 31, 2006.

No word has been released yet as to whether the Fed is moving in to eliminate the sale of products containing ATD which include the very popular Gaspari supplement Novadex XT.

I'm trying to stay on top of this and will post updates as they become available.

Do you have any references for these studies? I haven't seen anything in the scientific literature confirming these claims. Boldenone looks a bit like the active ingredient in Novadex XT, but as far as I know, boldenone, better known as Equipoise, doesn't have any aromatase-inhibiting or estrogen-lowering activity, as does the Novadex product. The only thing I can think of to explain this, assuming that the tests did accurately detect boldenone in Gaspari's product, is that the boldenone was an additive to to the product, with the hope that it would be disguised because of the listed ingredient of Novadex. This would not be the first time something like this happened. I recall a supplement sold years ago, touted as a testosterone-booster, that proved to contain 14% methyltestosterone. Boldenone, although not 17-alpha ankylated like most other oral steroids, isn't readily broken down in the liver when consumed orally, so I would think that enough would survive to provide an enhanced anabolic effect. If true, this would also explain the very high testosterone levels reported with Novadex, which in many cases matched or even exceeded levels attained by using injectable testosterone. I wonder if Rich Gaspari had any inkling of this, again assuming that it does contain boldenone. I doubt it. I also know that one of the last prohormones removed from sale last year did contain a designer steroid. I used this product myself, and my strength increased about 30% in all lifts,along with a loss of bodyfat. At the time, I was unaware that it contained an actual anabolic steroid. I did suspect something was wrong when a routine blood test revealed two liver enzymes were abnormally high.

Note this statement from the Gaspari Nutrition web site:


The active ingredients in Novedex XT™ have been conclusively shown to be inherently 100% non-anabolic and 100% non-androgenic by nature - the active ingredients are naturally occuring and are found in normal foodstuffs. Novedex XT™ is in full compliance in accordance with the United States 1995 DSHEA Act regarding food supplements. However, the use of Novedex XT™ might cause a positive urine or blood test showing elevated testosterone levels. Athlete's and anyone else subject to performance enhancement substance testing should consult with their sanctioning organization before use.

[CoryC]

Jerry,

I don't have the actual studies. The information that I am referencing was provided to OCB members through their website and their magazine.

They say that subjects were given the supplements and tested positive for Equipose. That's all I know at this time.

[Jerry Brainum]

Originally Posted by CoryC

Jerry,

I don't have the actual studies. The information that I am referencing was provided to OCB members through their website and their magazine.

They say that subjects were given the supplements and tested positive for Equipose. That's all I know at this time.

They may have tested positive for the Equipoise, but it may have been something else in the product that looked like the chemical signature for boldenone.One of the former OTC prohormones appeared to be Primobolan in drug tests, but it was not, though it was quite similar in structure, differing by only a molecule or two. BTW, what is "OCB'?

[CoryC]

OCB is the "Organization of Competative Bodybuilders". A natural organization that is the feeder for the IFPA.


I have some more information. The substance in question is ATD, so the ban will extend to any product that contains ATD and not only Novadex XT.

They performed their own in-house study which was done by taking an athlete that tested clean, having them take the supplement for two weeks, and then testing them again. The results of the second test triggered the positive test for Equipose.

As a result of this testing they are adding ATD to their list of banned substances effective December 31, 2006.

I'm sending an e-mail out to the head of the OCB in regards to this in hope that I can get some more detail on how the testing was performed etc.

[Jerry Brainum]

I've done some research about the allegations concerning the tainting of the Gaspari Nutrition product, Novadex XT. I'm now totally convinced that this is a bogus attempt on the part of Gaspari's disgruntled competitors to undermine the product. The product has been tested many times, and contains no anabolic steroids or any other pro hormones. Gaspari does state that the product isn't intended for use by those involved in drug-tested competitions, since it does elevate testosterone levels. This initial rumor seems to have been generated by a person associated with this "OCB" site, who also formerly worked for one of Gaspari's competitors. This is what I don't like about this industry: the cutthroat nature of some people. They will do anything to make a buck, such as blatantly lie in ads, spread rumors along the Internet B.S mill, and so on. Frankly, I smelled a rat from the start, since I know both Rich Gaspari and the product developer, Bruce Kneller,who are both far too intelligent to foist a product tainted with steroids. On the other hand, there are some morons who are selling prohormones in full violation of the 2005 updated law prohibiting the sale of such products. Not only do many such products have zero evidence of efficacy, but they are in flagrant violation of the law. The moral of all this is don't believe most of what you read as factual on the Internet. Anyone can claim anything they want in this unrefereed environment. My attitude is that I believe nothing that I read on the Internet, unless I can see actual proof. Sadly, forums are among the worst sources of info. I know of one web site that makes up responses to articles appearing on their site. Anyone with an IQ higher than single digits can tell they are fake because such "responses" tout the products sold on the site, and talk about how great the articles are, which most are not.
Another thing to consider is that this "ban" is on any product containing ADT, but since Kneller holds the use patent for this substance, the ban is directed exclusively at the Gaspari product. And why wait until December? Why not ban it now? Also, I'd like someone to explain why a product that increases testosterone through inhibiting aromatase should be banned in the first place? All you are doing in this instance is manipulating your own hormonal profile. As such, any product touted for GH release, stimulation of protein anabolism (such as whey protein), should likewise be banned. Not doing so is contradictory and suspicious to say the least.

[CoryC]

I am not part of any "orchestrated attack". I want that made perfectly clear. I receive zero money from any of the time I spend in and around bodybuilding.

I read something and posted it. I also stated that I didn't know the whole story as of yet but I thought the information might be of interest to anyone who is competing drug free.

Unfortunately I work a full-time job as an accountant, am a full-time student and a husband. I can't always get the information done in as timely a manner as I would prefer, for that I do apologize.

I will continue to attempt to get a statement from the OCB, but I want to clear up to anyone reading this that I'm not on some "witch hunt" against Gaspari.

There are bottles of Novedex XT in my house right now as I take the supplement and have been very happy with the results.

[Jerry Brainum]

Originally Posted by CoryC

I am not part of any "orchestrated attack". I want that made perfectly clear. I receive zero money from any of the time I spend in and around bodybuilding.

I read something and posted it. I also stated that I didn't know the whole story as of yet but I thought the information might be of interest to anyone who is competing drug free.

Unfortunately I work a full-time job as an accountant, am a full-time student and a husband. I can't always get the information done in as timely a manner as I would prefer, for that I do apologize.

I will continue to attempt to get a statement from the OCB, but I want to clear up to anyone reading this that I'm not on some "witch hunt" against Gaspari.

There are bottles of Novedex XT in my house right now as I take the supplement and have been very happy with the results.

I wasn't accusing you of anything in my response. You did post this information, though it didn't come from you, and I checked into it and found the underlying basis for this "ban" to be bogus nonsense. This isn't a reflection on you. On the other hand, this organization, which I've never heard of prior to your post, appears to be a third tier outfit that few pay any attention to anyway. As such, their "ban" is moot to begin with. I do take issue with the notion of smearing a product for self-serving reasons, which is why I investigated this situation. Since your post contained incorrect info, i.e., Novadex XT containing boldenone, I looked into it, and posted a truthful public response. I, too, am not in anyway connected to Gaspari's company, although I have also used the product. I don't think you have any axe to grind against Gaspari, but I have no doubt that the "OCB" does. They are a new entry in my "not to be trusted" category.

[CoryC]

I received a response from the OCB, I will post it and then allow people to make up thier own minds regarding the validity of the claims etc.


Here is the Press release:

The OCB/IFPA underwent an experiment to see if the over the counter supplement known as ATD would cause a subject to fail a urinalysis. ATD is marketed as a “naturally occurring testosterone booster” and acts as an anti-estrogen. ATD is an aromatase inhibitor, in other words, it binds to and inhibits the enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen.

The subject submitted a sample that was clear of any banned substances. After taking ATD for 2 weeks, the subject resubmitted a urine sample. This time, the sample came back positive for metabolites of the anabolic steroid boldenone (1,4-androstadiene-3-one,17b-ol). (The metabolites were 5beta-androst-1-en-17beta-ol-3-one and 5beta-androst-1-en-3beta-ol-17-one)

It is believed that ATD shares similar metabolites as 1,4-androstadienedione, a prohormone of boldenone. ATD products may also contain contaminants containing this prohormone, which would result in the positive test for boldenone.

ATD’s chemical name is 1,4,6-Androstatrien-3,17-dione (ADT), but natural athletes need to be very vigilant in selecting their supplements. ATD is often referred to using deceptive names such as 3,17-keto-etiochol-triene or 3,17-dioxoetioallocholan-1,4,6-triene, for example. ATD is found in many over the counter supplements including, but not limited to Rebound XT (Designer Supplements), Novedex XT (Gaspari Nutrition), Inhibit-E (SNS), and Attitude (SAN),

[CoryC]

The following is the response of Matt Shepley (the head of the OCB) regarding Gaspari Products:

We have nothing against Gaspari products. We are actually appreciative of them since they are sponsoring out Oct 7th pro divisions in Cape Cod, MA.

The reason for arranging for products containing ATD to be banned starting next year is due to experiments we conducted using urinalysis and a number of different products containing ATD. Results from the experiements revealed that ATD was the ingredient responsible for producing a positive result for boldenone metabolites. The same two metabolites showed up in mulitple tests for a few different products containing ATD. The rationale for making it a banned substance is because of the problems it can cause with urine testing, producing a postive result and thereby failure.

It wouldn't surprise me if ATD became banned with the WADA in 2007. They continue to add substances as they catch up with them and have means of detecting them.