St. Louis Cardinals` first baseman Mark McGwire captivated Americans this summer by blasting 70 home runs and crushing Roger Maris` 37-year-old home run record. But with McGwire`s admission of using the controversial supplements androstenedione and creatine, McGwire created a new sensation by heightening the awareness of performance-enhancement products.Because androstenedione is banned in the NCAA, it is one of many substances for which Ohio State athletes are tested. Creatine is allowed, but is unregulated and has caused concern with some.”Ohio State athletes are not using andro because it`s illegal, but some do use creatine,” said Ohio State student athletic trainer Kris Klein. “These athletes do express concern because long term effects are still unknown about creatine.”Although androstenedione is banned by the NCAA along with the NFL and the Olympics, it is an over-the-counter supplement. Androstenedione is allowed in Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NHL.Androstenedione is a natural steroid hormone found in all animals as well as some plants. Also known as “andro,” androstenedione raises levels of the male hormone, which builds lean muscle mass, promotes recovery after injury and reduces muscle recovery time after exercise.Andro, which is illegal in some countries, is metabolized in the liver and directly converted to testosterone. Some medical experts argue it`s a dangerous substance and should be handled like a anabolic steroid.”Androstenedione is banned in most sports because it is a steroid,” said Dr. John Lombardo, director of OSU sports medicine. “Creatine is legal for athletes, but they should realize that they are trusting what each company says their product contains. There is no independent agency checking the purity of creatine products.”Creatine, an amino acid metabolite that helps build muscle, is a very popular over-the-counter dietary supplement. Although creatine has not raised the same concerns as andro, medical experts are still unsure of its long-term effects.Lombardo said OSU carries out random drug tests on all athletes throughout each season.”The NCAA tests college athletes when they go to any type of championship competition,” Lombardo said. “But football, and men`s and women`s track are randomly tested by the NCAA throughout the season because those two sports are typically the high risk groups for steroid and illegal performance-enhancement use.”Since the announcement that McGwire was using andro and creatine, sales have increased in the natural supplement industry.A General Nutrition Center sales representative said creatine is a very popular item, but they do not carry andro because the company was not yet convinced of its safety.”The morning after McGwire announced he used creatine, we were pretty busy with phone calls and customers who wanted information on creatine,” said the GNC sales representative. “Creatine has actually been hot all summer. Young guys from campus come in and want to know if the Ohio State football players use creatine and which form they use.”With the publicity McGwire has brought to andro and creatine, medical experts are moving at a quicker pace to find out what exactly these substances contain and what long term effects they could have on the body.”There simply isn`t enough information on creatine and andro,” Klein said. “Since McGwire, we`ve seen more awareness about andro, but still, there just isn`t enough research on either substance.”