|
|
ANABOLIC STEROIDS
|
Abusing anabolic
steroids to improve athletic performance, appearance and self-image is in
principle much different then administering human growth hormone to persons
with inherited dwarfism. Anabolic steroids are drugs derived from the male
hormone testosterone. They promote muscle growth and increase lean body mass.
The sport of bodybuilding is notorious for its athletes abusing such drugs.
Anabolic steroids and human growth hormone, although chemically quite different,
have similar physiological effects. Derived from the male sex hormone testosterone,
it is not easy to see why anabolic steroids are so dangerous. However, their
side effects can be quite serious, such as the increase in aggressive behavior
and cancer of the liver. Originally, anabolic steroids were developed to help
cancer patients and victims of starvation. Then, as availability increased,
so did the abuse of these drugs.
Testosterone is responsible for the secondary sex characteristics in males.
Males and females make the hormone naturally in the body. However, when knowledge
arose about anabolic steroids ability to induce weight gain and increase muscle
mass, body builders, as well as other athletes, began taking them to increase
their athletic performance. Although the International Olympics Committee
banned the use of steroids in 1974, after gas chromatography testing for
their presence became possible, abuse is still evident in many sports, including
the sport of bodybuilding. Athletes from other sports have been known to
use steroids, and recently the issue of testing baseball players for steroid
use has been discussed, but bodybuilding has always been one of the number
one sports in terms of the abuse of steroids. The abuse is still evident
in today’s sports, as can be seen by the number of athletes disqualified
from sporting events after failing a drug test.
SIDE EFFECTS:
Some of the main side effects of anabolic steroid abuse
are trembling, severe acne, fluid retention, aching joints, high blood pressure,
lower HDL (the "good" form of cholesterol), jaundice, and liver tumors. Also,
people who inject steroids with shared needles run the risk of contracting
or transmitting hepatitis or HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Other side effects include:
· For men, shrunken testicles, reduced sperm count,
impotence, infertility, baldness, development of breasts, difficulty or pain
in urinating, and an enlarged prostate;
· For women, growth of facial hair, changes in
or cessation of the menstrual cycle, enlargement of the clitoris, deeper
voice, and smaller breasts; and
· For adolescents, premature skeletal maturation
and accelerated puberty leading to stunted growth.
This page was created by John Driscoll, Becky Russo and Nick Renzette for Chem 465
at the Unversity of Delaware.
Last modified: 11.06.02
