Androstenedione--better known as andro--is a natural precursor to testosterone. Since home run king Mark McGwire popularized it in the fall of 1998, it has gained much popularity among bodybuilders and athletes because of its alleged abilities to increase muscle and strengthen bones, as well as being able to enhance sexual performance, cognitive abilities, and cardiovascular and prostate health.

As with some other natural substances--including GHB and tryptophan--misinformation and myths abound regarding andro. When it was found that andro is probably technically an anabolic steroid, the media and public became hysterical. They proclaimed andro to be dangerous or, at best, useless. Some of them questioned whether McGwire's record should be disallowed or at least qualified.

The Smart Guide to Andro aims to cut through the malarkey and clarify what is actually known and not known about this legal, easily available nutrient. The most important thing to remember is that andro is a natural substance (you have a bunch of it coursing through your veins right now), while the dangerous steroids are synthetic. This makes all the difference in the world. "In fact, the scientific evidence plainly shows that it is not the anabolic properties of these agents that cause the most problems but the fact that they are synthetic. Liver toxicity, hepatitis, and liver cancer can develop with these drugs, because they are man-made substances that must be processed by the liver. The liver, of course, is not designed to handle these synthetic molecules; it lacks the proper enzymes and cofactor to do the job properly, and this can result in a flood of toxins that, over a long period of time, can destroy this vital organ. This is not the case with Androstenedione . . . [It] 'belongs' in the body. When metabolized in the liver (or other places in the body), it doesn't even cause a ripple; no useless or toxic metabolites are formed."

In 31 short chapters phrased as questions, The Smart Guide covers andro's effects on testosterone, muscle, bones, the cardiovascular system, and sex drive; whether it causes heart disease, liver damage, prostate cancer, aggressiveness and violence, depression and paranoia, or acne and hair loss; whether andro is the same as synthetic steroids and creatine (no on both counts); andro's legal status; whether women and teenagers should take it; how much to take; and more. It also has a bit of information on andro's cousins--androstenediol, 19-norandrostenedione, and 19-norandrostenediol.