Bodybuilders and those who are trying to gain muscle mass may accidentally be ingesting the breast cancer drug Tamoxifen, according to a recent study.
A team of researchers, including those from Liverpool John Moores University, bought four samples of Esto Suppress, finding Tamoxifen in three of the four samples they analyzed. The label of the product suggests a dose of two capsules per day provides approximately 7.6 milligrams of Tamoxifen - a drug known to suppress the female sex hormone estrogen.
As a result, people trying to build muscle mass have been taking Tamoxifen to stop breast enlargement caused by the use of anabolic steroids for over 30 years now. Tamoxifen as a means to build muscle may only be purchased from illegal suppliers.
The findings encouraged the researchers to write a letter to the British Medical Journal, saying that it is not known whether or not if all Esto Suppress products currently on sale contained Tamoxifen since their analysis was carried out two years ago.
"Since the 2000s, a growing number of off-the-shelf 'food,' 'herbal' or 'dietary supplements' - aimed at gym-goers and people wanting to lose weight or enhance their sex lives - have contained pharmacologically active substances including anabolic steroids, stimulants and appetite suppressants. Some of these substances have been withdrawn from use in medicines owing to safety concerns, others have never been tested in humans. Often the substances are not listed on the labelling, and products may be marketed as 'natural,' exploiting the belief that they are safer and are healthier options," the researchers warned.
