Download Anabolic Steroids

Article 1: ANABOLIOC STEROIDS: A Threat to Mind and Body- The Price of Perfection
Shock waves went through the sports world when Canadian track superstar Ben Johnson was denied his
gold medal at the 1988 Olympics after tests showed he had taken anabolic steroids. The incident called
international attention to the use of anabolic steroids among world-class athletes to gain competitive
advantage.
Still, athletes and non-athletes alike persist in taking them. Teenagers are taking anabolic steroids not
just to excel in sports but to enhance their self-images by perfecting their physiques. There are even
reports of male adults in physically demanding professions like law enforcement using them to appear
tougher and more formidable.
As the drug grows in popularity so does awareness of the serious side effects it may cause. One of the
most alarming is the threat of AIDS. HIV, human immunodeficiency virus, can be transmitted if shared
needles are used to inject the drug.
But potential harm to physical and psychological health is only one aspect of this troubling trend.
A QUESTION OF VALUES
The non-medical use of anabolic steroids raises more ethical and moral issues. Engaging in steroids use
is illegal. Users are likely to find themselves acquiring these drugs through illicit and expensive channels.
The heavy demand for anabolic steroids has given rise to black market, with sales estimated at as much
as $400 million a year. Moreover, supplies, which are often illegally manufactured and do not meet
established standards, may be contaminated.
Many argue that athletes who use these drugs are cheating. They gain an unfair advantage over
opponents and violate the ban on steroids imposed by most major sports organizations.
ANOTHER ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCE?
Can anabolic steroids be added to the list of addictive drugs? Early signs point to addictive patterns
among users. At the very least, users demonstrate an unwillingness to give up anabolic steroids even in
the face of possibly dire consequences to their health.
STOPPING THE TREND
As the health risks of anabolic steroids become more apparent, efforts to curtail their use through
education, legislation, and medical practices are intensifying.
http://www.health.org/pubs/nidarr/st2.htm
Article 2: ANABOLIOC STEROIDS
Anabolic steroids are synthetic hormones that resemble the male hormone, testosterone. When taken in
large doses, anabolic steroids stimulate muscle formation. They increase muscle size and strength by
stimulating protein synthesis in muscle cells. High doses may also reduce the inflammation that
frequently results from heavy exercise, allowing athletes to work out harder and longer.
When it comes to building muscle, steroids and exercise are an unbeatable combination. Some users
claim that steroids even increase aggression, which may be helpful to football players and other
competitive athletes.
Despite the benefits of steroids, most physicians view them as a dangerous proposition. For example,
steroids can result in psychiatric (mental) and behavioral problems. One set of researchers interviewed
41 athletes who used steroids in doses 10-100 times greater than those used in medical studies. The
athletes also reported using as many as five or six steroids simultaneously in cycles lasting 4-12 weeks,
a practice known as “stacking.” In this study, researchers found that one-third of the athletes developed
severe psychiatric complications.
Athletes in the study reported episodes of severe depression during and after steroid use. Some reported
feelings of invincibility. One man, in fact, deliberately drove a car into a tree at 40 mph while a friend
videotaped him. Some subjects reported psychotic symptoms in association with steroid use, including
auditory hallucinations (hearing voices). Withdrawal from steroids resulted not only in depression, but
also in suicidal tendencies.
Other studies have shown that steroids used in excess may damage the heart and kidneys and reduce
testicular size in men. In women, steroids deepen the voice and may cause enlargement of the clitoris.
Steroids also cause severe acne and liver cancer. Unfortunately, there are no scientific studies on the
long-term health effects of steroids.
Despite the fact that anabolic steroids are banned by the National Football League, the International
Olympic Committee, and college athletic programs, athletes continue to use them. Most steroids used in
the United States are imported illegally from Mexico and Europe. Because of a federal crackdown on the
importation of steroids, some experts believe that the inflow may be slowing. Others are not so optimistic,
contending that the $100-million-a-year black market will not be easily deterred.
A recent survey of 46 public and private high schools across the United States involving over 3000
teenagers suggest that steroid use is especially prevalent in high school seniors. About one in every
fifteen senior boys reported taking anabolic steroids. The study also showed that the use of anabolic
steroids begins in junior high school. Two-thirds of the students surveyed said that they had used
steroids by age sixteen.
Nearly half the users said they took the drugs to boost athletic performance, and 27% said their primary
motive was to improve their appearance. Researchers say that adolescents who use steroids may be
putting themselves at risk of stunted growth, infertility, and psychological problems.
Steroid use in the United States illustrates our dependence on quick fixes. It is a tragic result of the
almost obsessive focus on performance and achievement that may be endangering the health of our
children and our athletes.
Article 3: WHAT EFFECT DO ANABOLIC STEROIDS HAVE IN ADULTS?
In males, excess anabolic steroids are metabolized into female sex hormones. This leads to growth of
breasts in men, known medically as “gynecomastia.” While drastic breast growth does not occur in every
case of steroid abuse, it is an irreversible side effect.
Testosterone is produced by the testes at the rate of four to ten milligrams per day. When a male takes
anabolic steroids, the body detects the excess steroids and signals the testes to stop producing them.
When they stop pricing testosterone, they also stop producing live sperm. Long periods of anabolic
steroid abuse lead to infertility and reduced testicular size. In adult males, the testes begin to function
again within six months after steroids are withdrawn. It is not known whether anabolic steroids have a
different effect on testicular function in adolescent males.
Article 4: ARE ATHLETES LOOKING GOOD & DOING BETTER WITH ANABOLIC STEROIDS?
Everyone loves a winner, and top athletes are popular and make lots of money. It is not surprising that
some will grasp at anything to increase their performance- including anabolic steroids. These hormones
engineered by pharmaceutical companies, were introduced in the 1950’s to treat victims of certain
muscle-wasting diseases and anemia and to prevent muscle atrophy in patients immobilized after s
surgery. Testosterone, a natural anabolic steroid made by the body, triggers the increase of muscle and
bone mass and other physical changes that occur during puberty and convert boys into men. Convinced
that huge doses could enhance masculinizing effects in grown men, many athletes were using the
steroids by the early 1960s, and the practice is still going strong today. Indeed it is estimated that one out
of every ten young men has tried steroids, so use is no longer confined to athletes looking for the edge.
The use of these drugs has been banned by most international competitions, and users (and prescribing
physicians or drug dealers) are naturally reluctant to talk about it. Nonetheless, there is little question that
many professional bodybuilders and athletes competing in events that require great muscle strength
(such as discus throwing and weight lifting) are heavy users. Sports figures such as football players have
also admitted to using steroids to help them prepare for games. Advantages of anabolic steroids cited by
athletes include increased muscle mass and strength, increased oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood
(because of greater red blood cell volume), and an increase in aggressive behavior (the urge to
“steamroller the other guy”.
But do the drugs do all that is claimed for them? Research studies have reported increases in isometric
strength and body weight in steroid users. Although these are results weight lifters dream about, there is
a hot dispute over whether the drugs also enhance the fine muscle coordination and endurances needed
by runners and others.
Do the claimed slight advantages conferred by steroid use outweigh the risks? Absolutely not! Physicians
say they cause bloated faces (a sign of steroid excess), shriveled testes, and in fertility; damage the liver
and promote liver cancer; and causes changes in blood cholesterol levels (which may place long-term
users at risk for coronary heart disease). Additionally, about one-third of anabolic steroid users develop
serious psychiatric problems. Manic behavior in which the users undergo Jekyll-Hyde personality swings
and become extremely violent (the so-called ‘roid rage) is common; so, too, are depression and
delusions.
A recent arrival on the scene, sold over the counter as a “nutritional performance enhancer,” is
androstenedione, which is converted to testosterone in the body. It is taken orally and much of it is
destroyed by the liver soon after ingestion, but the few milligrams that survive temporarily boost
testosterone levels. “Wannabe” athletes from the fifth grade up are said to be sweeping the supplement
off the drugstore shelves. This is troubling; androstenedione is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and its long-term effects are unpredictable. Ongoing studies have found that males
who took the supplement developed elevated levels of the female hormone estrogen as well as
testosterone (raising their risk of feminizing effects such as enlarged breasts), early puberty, and stunted
bone growth.
The question of why athletes use these drugs is easy to answer. Some say they are willing to do almost
anything to win, short of killing themselves. Are they unwittingly doing this as well?
DIRECTIONS: Read all 4 articles on anabolic steroids. Some of the information repeats itself
but each article contributes new information to your overall understanding. The last article is the
most recently published so a few of the statistics may be different, as new information has been
gathered. After reading the articles, answer the following questions.
QUESTIONS: Anabolic Steroids
1. What incident called international attention to the use of anabolic steroids among world-class athletes?
2. Why would law enforcement personnel use steroids?
3. What are some of the ethical and moral issues raised by the use of steroids?
4. What is “gynecomastia?”
5. What other effects, both positive and negative, do anabolic steroids have in adult males (at least 7
things)?
6. What effects do anabolic steroids have in adult females specifically (2 things)?
7. What is “stacking?”
8. How do some people report feeling after taking steroids?
9. What is the primary reason that boys take steroids?
10. What may steroid use in the U.S. say about us?
11. If steroids can cause so many health problems, why were steroids created in the first place?
12. What are the problems associated with “nutritional performance enhancers” and who is primarily
using them?