Newswise — Every athlete wants to run as fast as Michael Johnson, vault as powerfully as Mary Lou Retton or hit a baseball like Mark McGwire. But as the 2004 Summer Olympics approach, one expert cautions teens and weekend athletes not to turn to performance-enhancing steroids to reach their gold-medal potential.
"For people who are considering using anabolic steroids, my advice is don't," says Kirk Brower, M.D., executive director of the Chelsea Arbor Addiction Treatment Center, which the University of Michigan Health System operates in conjunction with Chelsea Community Hospital. "First of all, it's illegal. Second, it's cheating. Third, it can be dangerous to your health, and we don't know what the long-term effects of anabolic steroids are."
At least 1 million Americans have tried steroids at some point, and 4 percent to 6 percent of male high school seniors and 1 percent to 3 percent of female high school seniors use steroids, Brower says.
Synthetic steroids were first developed in the 1930s and are mostly used to treat men whose bodies do not produce enough testosterone. Bodybuilders and weightlifters first latched onto them in the 1950s as a way to build muscles, and soon other athletes were using steroids to enhance their performance. Athletes in the 1950s and 1960s used steroids during the Olympics, before the International Olympic Committee banned them. The IOC first began testing athletes for steroids in 1976 at the Montreal Games. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and many professional sports also ban steroids.
"Until 1976, Olympic athletes were using steroids with little concern about getting caught, and some records were set because of steroid use. That put incredible pressure on the athletes that followed them to use steroids as well," says Brower, associate professor of psychiatry at the U-M Medical School.
The 2004 Summer Olympics will be held Aug. 13-29 in Athens, Greece. Already, potential Athens competitors have been banned from the 2004 Games because of steroid use, and former Olympians who tested positive for steroids have been stripped of medals.
"Taking steroids coerces other athletes to take them in order to maintain a level playing field. Athletes feel forced to use them to maintain a competitive advantage over other athletes whom they believe are taking steroids," Brower says.
Anabolic steroids are a synthetic form of the male hormone testosterone, which causes the masculine effects boys develop during puberty, such as a deepened voice and larger muscles. Steroids can increase the body's ability to make protein and build muscle tissue, but they also interfere with the body's natural sex hormones and can cause sterility, stunted growth and severe mood swings. Steroid use has been linked to health problems, including heart attacks, stroke and liver cancer.
Anabolic steroids are physically and psychologically addictive, Brower says. People often develop a tolerance that requires increasingly higher doses to see the same result. Many athletes say they can't stop using steroids, and those that do stop often experience depression.
Although steroids are not legally available in the United States without a prescription, other countries sell them over-the-counter. These are often smuggled into the United States and are easy for teenagers and young athletes to obtain on the black market.
In addition, steroid supplements such as DHEA and androstenedione (known as Andro) are available over-the-counter in the United States, and are often sold at health food stores or gyms. These are weak anabolic steroids, so people must take large doses to see any effect. Generally, side effects are the same as with anabolic steroids, although harmful effects are reported less often with over-the-counter supplements.
"When used by themselves, over-the-counter steroids are certainly safer than anabolic steroids, in general. But none of these substances is risk-free. We also know many people begin using over-the-counter steroid supplements on their way to using illicit steroids," Brower says.
Recognizing signs of steroid use
Steroids are usually injected into the muscle, although some are taken orally or applied to the skin as creams or gels. Often, people will take more than one type of steroid. There are more than 100 different anabolic steroids.
Here are some of the outward signs of steroid use:
"¢ Needle marks over large muscle areas."¢ Disproportionate body size, with overdeveloped upper body muscles."¢ Mood swings and aggressive behavior (known as "roid rage" )."¢ Acne"¢ Deepened voice for women."¢ Hair loss that resembles male pattern baldness."¢ Increased appetite
In addition, steroid use can cause:
"¢ Muscle or tendon tears"¢ Liver damage"¢ Higher cholesterol levels"¢ Shrinking testicles in men and irregular menstrual periods in women"¢ Stunted growth in children or young teens
Who uses steroids?
While anyone interested in building or defining his or her muscles may end up trying steroids, certain types of athletes are more likely to use steroids:
"¢ Athletes in sports that rely on strength and size, such as football, wrestling or baseball."¢ Athletes whose fields require endurance, such as track and field or swimming."¢ Athletes involved in weightlifting or bodybuilding.
Resources
UMHS Advisor: Anabolic Steroids: http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_anabster_sma.htm
National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Report on Anabolic Steroid Abuse: http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/Steroids/AnabolicSteroids.html
The Truth About Steroids:http://www.health.org/govpubs/phd726
TeensHealth: Are Steroids Worth the Risk?: http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/sports/steroids.html
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