Newswise — Baseball's spring training season is under a thundercloud as major league baseball stars are accused of using steroids. What do steroids do? How commonly are they used? Why are they dangerous?
Dr. Michael Cannon, assistant professor of community and family medicine at Saint Louis University, who specializes in sports medicine, can answer questions about the illegal, performance-enhancing drugs.
"It's known a steroid will improve performance in different athletes in several ways. They increase the body's ability to develop muscle mass. They decrease the recovery time after exercising and you can do more to quickly improve your exercise abilities," Dr. Cannon says. "Steroids actually work."
At the same time, steroids make people more aggressive and increase their risk of psychological problems, liver cancer, lymphoma, diabetes, infertility and acne.
"We're dealing with an all or none society," Dr. Cannon says. "Winning is the only thing and that puts people in the mindset that it isn't meaningful what happens in the long-run. It's the short-run."
Dr. Cannon says the use of steroids is common -- even among middle school students. "A lot of middle and high school guys will use steroids just to look good. There's a significant misuse of this drug."
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