Experts question whether a study touting the benefits of a stimulant-plus-caffeine was irresponsible.

Mark McGwire admits his fit physique is partly a product of the muscle-building herb "andro." Sports Illustrated calls cold medicine Sudafed the "little helper" that many NHL players turn to for a pre-game boost.

Add to these headlines a recently publicized study from this month's Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise . It claims that caffeine combined with the herb ephedrine can help soldiers be all they can be — and then some.

But critics say there are two flaws to the study: It is wrong, and it sends the wrong message.

New 'Tool' for Military

The study, conducted by the Defense and Civil Institute of Environmental Medicine, a research arm of the Canadian Department of National Defense, reports that ephedrine, a stimulant used in over-the-counter cold and sinus drugs, combined with caffeine can improve exercise performance and may therefore be useful in some military operations.

Researcher Ira Jacobs calls the findings a "new tool in the arsenal" for the military.

The 24 subjects involved in the study were broken up into one group of 16 and another group of eight.

The first group was asked to pedal on a stationary bike for 30 seconds, while the second biked for two minutes. Subjects were given either ephedrine, caffeine, a combination of caffeine plus ephedrine, or placebo.

The test reports a small increase, 1.5 percent, in power in only the first 10 seconds of exercise using ephedrine. Subjects who took a caffeine/ephedrine combination took 7 percent longer to tire.

Concern Over Teen Misuse

Dr. Linn Goldberg, head of the Division of Health Promotion & Sports Medicine at Oregon Health and Sciences University, says the study only proves that there is no clinical benefit to taking supplements.

"After 10 seconds, placebo wins every time. What military operation takes just 10 seconds?" asks Goldberg.

In addition, says Goldberg, such "illogical leaps" pose a challenge to the public, especially teens, who already can have a hard time deconstructing the hype about supplements that may be aimed at them.

"This kind of article worries me. Yes, it is science but it can be misinterpreted and misused undoubtedly," says Dr. Lyle Micheli, director of Sports Medicine at Boston's Children's Hospital.

Misuse by kids and teens specifically is what concerns Dr. Dan Cooper, pediatrics professor at the University of California at Irvine: "They're thinking, if a little caffeine and ephedrine is good, then a lot must be better."

Serious Side Effects

Ephedrine stimulates the heart and nervous system. The herb has been held responsible for dozens or deaths and permanent injuries.

Ephedrine is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and is easily available to children and teens in most health food stores, despite the serious side effects adolescents are vulnerable to because of their growing bodies.

Add to the vulnerability the fact that ephedrine is one of the most popular sports supplements among teens who take the supplement with hopes of bigger muscles and better athletic performance. It's estimated that up to 8 percent of high school seniors take the supplement.

Goldberg calls supplements like ephedrine "gateway drugs" since kids move on to harder drugs like amphetamines when they find that they don't work. He developed a program to prevent steroid and supplement use in teens, called ATLAS.

The program targets student athletes, teaching them safer, healthier ways to perform without drugs such as steroids, ephedrine or andro. The program has had great success nationwide, reducing new use of supplements by 50 percent among high school athletes.

Asked if they were concerned that the lay public might misinterpret the study results and start consuming more supplements, Jacobs replied that though the risks of ephedrine are valid concerns, it's already being used by a large portion of athletes and body builders.

He adds that while the study looked at a healthy population, the lay public should still be concerned about ephedrine.

"We are in no way advocating the use of caffeine and ephedrine in all people," said Jacobs, who adds that cardiovascular risks posed by the herb are very real.

Reference Source 104

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