Is an overly competitive Masters Fattie you know buying
dubious supplements from some weirdo in a back alley behind
his gym? Is his training budget too limited to afford BALCO
or Dr. Mabuse? Save your friend from putting his health in
jeopardy by ingesting unknown substances that have been
stepped on God-knows-how-many times! Instead, he can put
his health in jeopardy by popping pills direct from the
manufacturers, with professional labels and all.
For this Washington Post article, they obtained several dodgy
"supplements" - apparently all bought online - and had them
tested. Four of five contained anabolic steroids, and not
just your garden variety stack either:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/17/AR2005101701622.html
The Washington Post obtained five dietary supplements --
each of which touted its ability to build muscle fast --
available online and asked a prominent Los Angeles researcher
to test them. Don Catlin, who directs the U.S. Olympic drug
testing lab at UCLA, said four of the products contained
previously undetected anabolic steroids. One contained a steroid
that came to the attention of authorities just two years ago
but, until now, was thought to be in only limited circulation.
...
Catlin said the steroids are reminiscent of tetrahydrogestrinone,
or THG, and norbolethone, the two steroids connected to BALCO,
the Burlingame, Calif.-based nutritional supplements company
whose clients included Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants
and more than a dozen professional baseball and football players
and track and field athletes. But unlike THG, which was sold
secretly to elite athletes before Catlin discovered it in 2003,
the five supplements obtained by The Post are widely available --
and affordable. Their costs ranged from $50 to $125 per bottle.
There's more, but if you want the brand names you'll have to
read the article.