International Olympic Committee OK's Creatine but not Andro

Good news for athletes who use creatine.

Creatine will not be added to the International Olympic Committee's list of banned drugs, said Prince Alexandre de Merode, the chairman of the IOC's medical commission.

"Creatine is food," de Merode said. "You can't prevent people from eating food."

Creatine, an amino acid protein produced naturally in humans, is marketed as a legal alternative to anabolic steroids. The IOC, however, continued its hard line on Mark McGwire and proponents of androstenedione. Andro, which McGwire uses, is more than a nutrient. It is a hormone. De Merode said the IOC is continuing its attempt to persuade major-league baseball and its players union to ban andro. Andro is legal in baseball but banned by the IOC, the NFL and the NCAA.