Diuretics
Enhancement drugs have been used by athletes for a very long time. There are numerous types of drugs used by athletes, including steroids, androstenedione, gonatrophin, diuretics, etc. One of the most common is diuretics. I am going to talk about the cause and effects of this drug on athletes that choose to use this form of enhancement. Diuretics are a drug that changes or alters a body’s natural balance of fluids and salts. This in turn can lead to dehydration which can decrease and athlete’s weight which is helpful to athletes who prefer to compete in a lower weight class. Because of this drug’s ability to alter a person’s weight, it is most commonly abused in sports such as weight-lifting, boxing, wrestling, martial arts, gymnastics, and even ballet dancing (Diuretics & High
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This can cause many problems within an athlete’s body. Arrhythmia can lead to fatigue, dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath, chest pain, and even a collapse into sudden cardiac arrest. Because of this possible side-effect, constant monitoring and tests should be run during and before drug use. These precautions include blood tests, and monitoring of potassium, sodium, or kidney function before drug use. When these warnings are ignored, it puts the athlete’s body or even their life at risk. In 1992, a pro body-builder Mohommed Benaziza died after competing in a weight lifting contest. An autopsy later showed that Mohommed was extremely dehydrated. He had experienced cardiovascular failure. In another case that occurred in 1988, a body builder named Albert Beckles collapsed on stage and began convulsing. He was resuscitated by emergency paramedics and was reported to be suffering from dehydration caused by the abuse of diuretics. These are only a few examples of tragic events that could have been avoided if not for the illegal use of the dangerous drug (Diuretics in
When used by fully trained, elite athletes, performance enhancing drugs can improve performance to a much greater extent than any combination of the most intensive, sophisticated, and costly non pharmaceutical interventions known to modern sports science. Scientifically based training regimens, special diets, and complex physiological and exercise and recovery cannot match the enhancing effects of drugs. The drug use in a subgroup of athletes who even in the absence of drugs are able to compete at an elite level causes their separation into a distinct athletic population, distanced from 'natural' humans by a margin determined by the potency of the drug combinations that are
The name “performance enhancing drug” is a name that categorizes a long list of drugs and treatments, but only a few can add an impactful boost on an athlete’s abilities. Many of these drugs promote or increase the production of cells within the body, taking them to levels beyond what could actually be produced. Anabolic steroids and human growth hormone are the primary PEDs used in the sports world because of the positive effects they are known to produce. Anabolic steroids help the body 's muscle cells produce more protein, which increase muscle strength, and more ATP, which is the fuel muscles need and use. Human growth hormone is something already produced inside the body which promotes
In sports, the competitive drive to win can be very intensive between athletes. Winning in the game usually brings rewards to athletes both financially and psychologically. Such temptations and the consecutive pressures faced by athletes to excel in the sporting events, attempts to achieve a rival edge especially when the application of performance enhancing drugs by athletes in sports activities has becoming a new trend and relatively common. Performance enhancing drugs are used so athletes could achieve better results with least efforts, even as their health and their athletic careers will be placed in danger. That explains why athletes, sports people and body builders turn to performanc enhancing drugs.
According to Calfee, Fadale "Research indicates that younger athletes are increasingly experimenting with these drugs to improve both appearance and athletic abilities…the consensus today is that these drugs do increase athletic measures with objective gains in strength and fat-free mass." So, these player uses the drug so that their performance and appearance are the best so that they can have scholarships and so that they can win their games and get drafted by the National Football League. The athletes use many kinds of drugs but two of the most popular is Anabolic-androgenic Steroid and Ephedra. Athletes uses “Anabolic-androgenic steroids because it is good for gaining muscle mass, strength, increasing muscle mass, but the side effects that this drug have is connected to multiple organ systems: infertility, gynecomastia, female virilization, hypertension, atherosclerosis, physeal closure, aggression, depression.” The other drug they used is “Ephedra alkaloids is used as a possible nutritional supplement it increases weight loss, delay fatigue, increases metabolism, but it has no clear performance benefit, the side effects of this drug are cerebral vascular accident, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, seizure, psychosis, hypertension, death.” (Calfee, Fadale) Yes, some of the drugs
Many athletes take drugs either for the feeling or for enhancement of their sport. What athletes may not take into much consideration is the health effects that enhancement and recreational drugs do to the human body. Many athletes
From the beginning of history, professional and amateur athletes have tempted to use legal or illegal drugs to enhance their performance (1). Athletes have used pharmacological agents, called Performance-enhancing drugs(PEDs), to enhance performance or to become leaner or more muscular (2). In sports, administration of drugs that are forbidden by international world anti-doping agency (WADA) is referred as doping (3). Anabolic androgenic agents (AASs) are the most popular agents that are abused by the athletes, especially bodybuilding athletes. Besides these agents, other classes of drugs such as stimulants and peptide hormones (growth hormone and insulin) are new PEDs that are abused by a lot of athletes in the different sports (1). Other than these compounds, athletes often use dietary supplements like creatine, protein, and vitamins to enhance strength and increase body mass (4-6).
As the use of performance enhancing drugs is becoming more popular amongst athletes, many of them do not understand the risks involved in taking these drugs. Many people are looking for a quick way to build muscles, or to get stronger the fastest way possible. Using these performance aids may very well be a quick fix for many athletes, but taking the drugs is unethical and dangerous. Using special drugs to boost an athlete’s performance is degrading to sports and to the athlete, but after they stop using the drugs and lose some strength, you become
Along with increase in muscle growth performance enhancing drugs affect growth plates, the cardiovascular system, the liver, a person’s emotions, and can make the user dehydrated (Mangan). Growth plates allow the body to grow with age. PED’s harm these growth plates and can keep the body from growing if used before the user reached full maturity. PED’s also increase the chance high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attack which could lead to death. PED’s reach the liver as well which filters impurities out of the body. PED’s can lead to a tumor forming on the liver. It also decreases the liver efficiency which can lead to a multitude of illnesses and medical issues. The effects PED’s on a person’s emotions stand as the most well known side-effect. Most commonly people would identify intense rage, anger, and violence as the effects on a person’s psyche. In the long term, however, PED’s can lead to depression, impaired judgement, and overall instability of one’s psyche (Mangan). Dehydration can lead to most of the other side-effects as it will play with a person’s mind, cause organs to shut down, make blood thicker and harder for a person’s heart to move, and if not treated will lead to death. All these side-effects should deter an athlete from using PED’s to only increase strength and endurance. PED’s ultimately will inflict more damage on the user than good and prove why these substances should stay out of
Second stage diabetes and bone degeneration can form over time losing strength as the athlete continues to age (“Performance-Enhancement Drugs Are Dangerous 3”). This evidence proves the risks and affects you deal with when dealing with performance-enhancement drugs. Athletes tend to have a change in behavior and start to feel untouchable after taking the performance enhancement supplements (Ungerleider 2). This evidence shows how the drugs can emotionally change the persona of an athlete. These are all ways of how performance-enhancement drugs can be dangerous.
The sudden deaths of three wrestlers calls into question if something else is causing the deaths. Dr. Wang suspects creatine supplementation might be the culprit. Research studies have shown that the dietary supplement does improve power and strength, apparently with no known side effects. Creatine helps the muscles to retain water. For wrestlers using the supplement, "creatine works as an opposing force" when the wrestler tries to shed weight, causing problems in the body's cooling system (Younge, 1998). Although no direct connections have been made, Jeff Reese was reported as using creatine when he died trying to make weight (Younge, 1998). My investigative report is aimed at uncovering the potential dangers of combining creatine supplementation with the excessive weight loss practices used by competitive wrestlers.
Substances that improve an athlete's performance are called ergogenic aids. There are many of them, and some have bigger effects on athletes than others. The variety of ergogenic aids is so wide you can be taking one and never even know. Some athletes like myself try to experiment to get better performance or to be accepted in their sport. They might feel peer pressure to try them or to improve their performance. All they are thinking about is a desired outcome not the fact that it can actually can hurt performance. (Kenney 396)
Drugs, they are a wonder of medicine. They can be very helpful, but they can also be very dangerous .Some athletes use peds, (performance enhancing drugs) for muscular growth and or endurance and an example of them are anabolic steroids. They give the user more muscular endurance and growth so they can work out longer and grow more muscle in a shorter amount of time. These drugs are used in athletics to help the athletes win and have pretty bad symptoms, not only that but it is unfair to the rest of the competition for them to have that kind of advantage. athletes usually are compelled to use drugs because they want to win at all costs.this, win at all cost, mentality is a reason why athletes use PEDs.we need to improve the regulations of peds in sports.
The effects of using these performance enhancing drugs can be deadly. Using these might give you liver damage or decreased heart rate. Decreased heart rate can lead to strokes or a heart attack. On of the most deadly effects of using these drugs is leukemia. Leukemia is a blood cancer that kills someone approximately every nine minutes in America. In 2015, an estimated amount of 56,630 people died because of blood diseases such as
Performance enhancement drugs should be illegal because it gives the individuals who use them more advantages than the people who don’t use the drugs and actually work hard. Here, the World Anti-Doping Agency defines the term blood doping and what it does: “Blood doping is the misuse of certain techniques and/or substances to increase one’s red blood cell mass, which allows the body to transport more oxygen to muscles and therefore increase stamina and performance.” These drugs can be administered via syringe, and blood transfusion. When administered these make the blood more thick with makes the heart work harder to pump the blood through the body. This can cause heart attacks, strokes, and even blood clots in various places.
To begin with, drugs are used by athletes to help them cope. Athletes often use drugs to help them with the pressure and stress of their sports. Drugs also help athletes deal with being away from their families for extended periods of time. Claudia Reardon and Shane Creado explain why athletes use drugs, “athletes may turn to drugs to help cope with stressors, including pressure to perform, injuries, physical pain, and retirement (…).” Sometime the stress to perform is applied by the athlete’s pride and drive to do their very best. Athletes must cope with stress in their home life as well as in the game. Drugs are used to make everything an athlete is dealing with okay.