Steroid Use in Sports
Steroids are substances that some athletes use to try to improve their athletic performance. Steroid use interrupts normal hormone production in the body. Steroids can cause many side effects.
Anabolic steroids (anabolic-androgenic steroids) are manmade (synthetic) versions of the male sex hormone (testosterone). These steroids can increase muscle size and reduce body fat. They also activate the development of male sexual traits in men and women.
Androstenedione is a type of steroid that the body converts into the female sex hormone (estrogen) and testosterone (anabolic steroid precursor). This means that androstenedione does not help muscles grow on its own, but it gets converted into the type of steroid that does
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Anabolic-androgenic steroids and androstenedione are banned from all major athletic competitions. Using steroids to improve athletic performance is unsafe, and it gives athletes an unfair advantage in competition. When athletes use steroids to improve their performance, they often take high doses that are considered unsafe. This high dosage can lead to health problems.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), steroids are legal only when they are used to treat certain medical conditions. Tests that screen for steroid use are routinely used in many athletic competitions. There can be severe penalties for athletes who are caught using steroids.
There are several ways of using steroids, including:
• Taking steroids by mouth (orally). This is often dangerous for the liver.
• Injecting steroids into the muscles. Injected steroids often remain in the body for long periods of time.
• Applying steroids to the skin as a cream, gel, or patch.
It is possible to become addicted to steroids. Athletes who use steroids may develop withdrawal symptoms when they stop using steroids. Withdrawal symptoms may include:
• Mood swings.
• Depression.
• Fatigue.
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They’re among the world’s most controversial drugs. Not Heroin, Ganja, Coke or Crystal Meth, but Anabolic Steroids. Steroids are medical treatments that come in two varieties: Anabolic Steroids and Corticosteroids. These are both synthetic versions of hormones produced naturally in the body but they perform two completely different tasks. Corticosteroids are used by doctors to decrease inflammation. Anabolic Steroids are the familiar term for the synthetic version of the male sex hormone testosterone. Its technical name although, is Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids (AAS). “Anabolic referring to muscle-building and Androgenic referred to increased male sexual characteristics,” defined by the National
Steroids have a long-term, negative effect on the human body. These effects range from cardiovascular problems to mental and psychological issues such as rage and anger problems. Steroid use has been linked to increased alcohol consumption, marijuana use, cigarette smoking, and narcotic use (Buckman, Farris & Yusko, 2013). Many athletes may not be aware of the lasting effects steroids can have because all they are worried about is their performance, not their health.
The definition of steroids is, "man-made derivatives of testosterone, the male hormone. They synthesize protein and help promote muscle growth" (Iole 1). Types of steroids include anabolic and growth hormones. The definition of an anabolic steroid is, "Any drug or harmful substance, chemically and pharmacologically related to testosterone (other than estrogen, progestins, and corticostoroids) that promotes muscle growth, any drug or hormonal substance that stimulates the endogenous production of steroids in the human body which acts in the same manner" (Collins 1). Types of anabolic steroids include oral and intramuscular injection. Steroids taken orally have a half-life of several hours, while injected steroids have a half-life of several days (Collins 1). Steroids taken orally usually come on the form of a pill. It takes these water-soluble pills three to four weeks to clear the body. The oil-based injections take six to eight months to leave the body (Cochran 2). After steroids are taken, the steroid molecule bonds to cell receptor sites. Now the steroid molecule can increase protein synthesis, increase nitrogen retention, make metabolic changes, and increase size and strength of skeletal muscle cells. These all lead to bigger and stronger muscles (Collins 1). Some names of popular steroids include Nelvar, Deca-Durabolin, Anavar, Winstrol, Stanozolol, Dianabol, and Anadrol-50 (Nuwer 17).
Steroid abuse has become a huge problem in professional sports today. Athletes are now using steroids to gain a competitive edge over their opponents. Also, the athletes are using the steroids to recover quickly from major injuries or surgeries. Many former superstar athletes have been caught taking steroids during the season and offseason.
They are abused by both athletes and non-athletes in an attempt to “enhance performance and/or physical appearance” (“NIDA InfoFacts: Steroids (Anabolic-Androgenic)”, 2009). Steroids, typically taken orally or by injection, are used in “cycles” where a user takes steroids for a period of time, then stops for another length of time and then the pattern continues. Steroids are considered very dangerous, fickle substances that have the potential to mess up the user’s bodily functions if care is not taken while on them.
Testosterone is a hormone in both men and women, but in greater extent in the men, testosterone is a chemical compound (C19H28O2) and is responsible for the characteristic of men such as, sexual characteristics/sexual organs, deepening of the voice, and facial and body hair. (Neil Schlager, Jayne Weisblatt, and David E. Newton 2006) Testosterone/Steroids has bodybuilding and masculinizing effect as well as treating a variety of medical conditions, like asthma, the steroid is used in a puffer, they can be used for anabolic or androgenic purposes and made for synthetic purposes making them illegal. (BROWER, K. J. 2001) Many athletes will use these to gain an advantage on competitors, with lean muscle and higher endurance, with many uses, there
Steroids (anabolic) are a drug that was discovered and made by medical scientists in the last 1930’s to help with medical problems. The drug was made to help with many medical problems such as testosterone, growth, sexual functioning, and other medical problems such as helping people with HIV to help grow musical. It also helps with many other diseases. Like any other drug on the market people learn that the drug can be used for many other ways. Steroids can enhance athlete’s performance as well as bodybuilders and is used in almost every sport out there. The use of steroids has become a widespread problem. Steroid use has caused many help problems with the misuse of the drug and has caused the drug to be illegal for people to use them in
The use of steroids in sports has been a very common argument for so long because there has been arguments that it enhances performance. Why you should not use steroids! Steroids make you have mood swings and can damage your physical appearance. The more steroids you take has a bigger effect on your body. steroids should not be allowed because they cause health risk, behavior issues/mood swings,and they affect the brain.
Performance enhancing drugs, or steroids, are defined as substances used to improve physical performance. There are many types of steroidal performance enhancers. The first of these performance enhancing drugs are anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids are also known as androgen steroids, and they are used to increase the muscle mass and strength of a person. A natural anabolic steroid is testosterone, which your body naturally produces. Some athletes take straight testosterone which is another way to boost your athletic performance. This has the same effect as anabolic steroids, but it is natural and can be found within the body. Anabolic steroids are so effective and appealing to athletes, because they allow athletes to recover faster from a
People use steroids for many reasons whether it is to bulk up, perform faster and stronger or to improve their physique. Steroids are known to produce both anabolic and androgenic effects. Which are muscle building and masculine characteristic effects. The anabolic effects raise testosterone
Why exactly are steroids wrong? They can make great athletes into exceptional athletes, they are easily obtainable and in some circumstances are medically necessary. Could there be a valid argument that allowing them to be policed in sports would make steroids acceptable? No. Even if steroids were allowed in sports there would still be controversy. For example, if the NFL were to make steroids legal, the temptations for many athletes would be overpowering. These actions would need to include a policy for regulating how much is acceptable and safe. Therefore, making steroids legal would only transfer controversy to a different rule. Another conflicting factor would be the competitors that believe taking performance enhancing drug are wrong would be at an unfair advantage.
Anabolic-androgenic steroids are a group of hormones, which includes the natural male hormone, testosterone, and a number of synthetic compounds. "Anabolic" refers to muscle building, while "androgenic" refers to increased masculine characteristics. Anabolic effects are basically muscle growth. Androgenic effects produce secondary male sex characteristics like facial hair, body hair, deepening of the voice, and so on. In the 1950's scientists were trying to isolate the muscle building properties without the masculinizing effects. This lead to the development of synthetic anabolic steroids.
In the past three decades, steroids has been becoming a serious problem more than ever in the athletic field. Steroids are anabolic drug "to build" growth hormones that include the androgens (male sex hormones) principally testosterone and estrogen and progestogens (female sex hormones). Steroids were first developed for medical purposes. They're used in controlling inflammation, strengthening weakened hearts, preventing conception, and alleviating symptoms of arthritis and asthma. Unfortunately research has shown that steroids have been abused in almost every kind of sport. Although steroids contribute to a muscular body, usage should remain illegal because they physically deteriorate and mentally destroy the body.
After doing research on the use of steroids and their effects I have came to the conclusion that steroids is only bad thing if it is abused. Just like any other drug. A lot of people don't know what to do with the good things in life. While all the negative effects of steroids are told to us we are ignoring how steroids can actually help us. Especially in Athletes. Many people believe that athletes that “juice” are cheating. In reality they are not cheating because they are doing just what they think will help them improve and make them the best at what they love to do. There is always room for im-provement and creating all those negative side effects such as irritable and dangerous behavior is right and okay for athletes to
“Some athletes take a form of steroids — known as anabolic-androgen steroids or just anabolic steroids — to increase their muscle mass and strength. The main anabolic steroid hormone produced by your body is testosterone. Testosterone has many risks some of them are Anabolic effects promote muscle building. Androgenic effects male traits, such as facial hair and a deeper voice. Men get some major risks from taking this type of drug like some are prominent breasts Baldness, Shrunken testicles, Infertility, and Impotence.”(Mayo Clinic)