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Prohormone Definition

At some point or another, we have all heard the term "prohormone" bandied about, usually in conjunction with some athletic scandal and almost certainly in the same sentence as "steroids." While those in the fitness industry probably have a fair grasp on the definition of a prohormone, laypersons are often confused--and understandably so. With the media bombardment surrounding performance-enhancing drugs in sports, the amount of misinformation being circulated can be staggering. What is a prohormone, scientifically and legally speaking? And for that matter, what do they do?

  1. What Is a Prohormone?

    • Merriam-Webster defines a prohormone as "a physiological inactive precursor to a hormone." To put it simply, a prohormone is a substance that, while not currently an active hormone, is one the body can convert into an active hormone. For example, testosterone is one type of anabolic steroid. An anabolic prohormone, on the other hand, would not contain testosterone. It would instead contain a substance that, when metabolized by the body, becomes testosterone. Socially, when someone refers to prohormones, they are usually speaking of the category of performance-enhancing drugs first made popular by baseball players such as Mark McGwire throughout the 1990s.

    Legal Definition of a Prohormone

    • Anabolic steroids are illegal and certain prohormones were made illegal under the Anabolic Steroid Control Act amendments of 2004, but how does the law define a prohormone? Quite simply, it does not. According to the Act, all listed "prohormones" fall into the catchall category of "anabolic steroids." So as far as the government is concerned, a banned prohormone product is the same as an anabolic steroid.

    Types

    • Theoretically, there are an nearly infinite number of variations of chemical precursors to anabolic substances. New prohormones are being invented constantly and will continue to be for some time, but some familiar prohormones of the past include androstenedione (one of the products McGwire was using), androstenediol (1-AD), androstenediol (4-AD) and methyl 1-testosterone (M1-T).

    Benefits and Risks

    • Prohormones produce an effect similar to anabolic steroids, though to a lesser degree of effectiveness. Benefits include increased muscle mass, decreased fat mass and improved recovery and performance. As prohormones first require the body to metabolize the compound to create an active hormone, a certain percentage of the product is always lost or rendered useless during the conversion. However, while prohormones only provide a marginal amount of the benefit of anabolic steroids, they actually produce more side effects. Common sides include acne, increased blood pressure, gynecomastia (growth of male breast tissue) and sexual dysfunction.

    Considerations

    • Prohormones were first developed to fill the gap left by the original Anabolic Steroid Control Act, which made steroids illegal at a federal level. Ironically, by attempting to protect the nation from the "dangers" of steroid use, the government incidentally encouraged a more dangerous replacement to fill steroids' shoes. While prohormones are theoretically illegal, newly invented compounds (which have yet to make the government's banned list) will skirt the law for the foreseeable future.

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