What’s the Difference?
Anabolic steroids and human growth hormone, although chemically quite different,
have similar physiological effects. Derived from
the male sex hormone testosterone, it’s 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.
Growth hormone, like the derivatives of anabolic steroids,
is also found naturally in the human body. However,
there are exceptions. Inherited dwarfism is a genetic
disorder characterized by the individual’s loss of ability to produce normal
amounts of human growth hormone, or to produce human growth hormone at all. Since HGH determines the height of an individual, people
who can’t produce their own growth hormone are abnormally small in stature. Modern medicine has been able to reduce the effects of
inherited dwarfism, and doctors today readily prescribe HGH to individuals
not capable of making the hormone, thus increasing the size of these individuals.
The advantages of taking HGH for individuals with inherited
dwarfism are far-reaching. Overcoming the cultural
stigmas associated with individuals of small stature is not the only advantage. Depleted amounts of HGH are associated with bone diseases,
such as arthritis, and HGH can increase the life expectancy of individuals
with inherited dwarfism. However, abusing HGH can
result in similar side effects as those associated with the abuse of anabolic
steroids.