The Informant

QUESTION: My doctor told me that if a tablet, capsule, or tablet doesn’t dissolve quickly, it bypasses the first part of the small intestine, where most drugs are absorbed. Here’s how he said you should test the solubility of the oral steroids like Halotestin and Anadrol 50 that you may be using: Drop each in a glass of vinegar and see if they dissolve within 30 minutes. If not, you should try using something else because it may be fake. What are your thoughts on this?

ANSWER: The good doctor had a good suggestion but of course we can't recommend that you use steroids without a doctor's prescription! That test isn’t just useful for orals like Anadrol 50 and Halotestin though—it’s also useful for supplements, with a little modification. The pH environment of your stomach, when it’s empty, is about 2.0, which is highly acidic. After eating most “bodybuilding” meals, the pH increases slightly, to maybe 3.0 or so. The pH of most vinegars is close to three. Distilled vinegar is about 2.5, which is even better if you can find it. One other issue to consider is the “mechanical activity” of the stomach. If you just throw a tablet into a solution with a pH of 2.5 and let it sit there, you aren’t really mimicking the stomach environment very well. The stomach moves and contracts to churn its contents to aid with digestion. So place your tablets, capsules, and caplets in a Ziploc bag, then fill the baggie with vinegar about halfway. Squeeze the air out of it and seal it. Now carry the baggie around in your hand for the 30-minute test period (who cares what your friends say!). You’ll find that many supplement tablets don’t dissolve well. For this reason, I use capsules, liquid caps, or powders whenever possible. Alternatively, you can chew your tablets—it tastes like shit, but it works!

PHOTO CREDIT: JASON BREEZE