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Negative effects of anabolic steroids
Negative effects of anabolic steroids
Case study of anabolic steroids
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Bad effects of steroids
Each day, professional and amateur athletes and body builders thrive to achieve their goals and dreams of winning gold medals or representing their country worldwide. The sports or games in which they participate require physical strength, athleticism and stamina, and due to the tough competition they face, some of these athletes decide to take performance enhancing drugs, an act called doping.
The most famous of these drugs are anabolic steroids, which are, as defined by the Controlled Substances Act issued by the Food and Drugs Administration under the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, any drug or hormonal substance chemically and pharmacologically related to testosterone that promotes muscle growth. Patient with medical prescriptions are allowed to take steroids to treat some diseases such as delayed puberty. However, the use of anabolic steroids should be stopped because it comes with high risk on the level of physical and mental health.
Many athletes take steroids in higher doses than medically recommended, which causes, as I mentioned before, serious physical side effects such as: prominent breasts, baldness, shrunken testicles, impotence for men and infrequent or absent period, baldness, deeper voice, enlarged clitoris for women, and both might experience high blood pressure, heart problems, acne and liver tumors. Also, teenagers face risks, as cited in an article by Marty Kaminsky, Dr. Gary Wadler, professor of Medicine, New York University, says: “For a teenager, steroid use hastens the closing of the long bones. The body thinks you have finished adolescence, so you may not reach your genetically predetermined height.” (Boy’s Life, June 2005).
In addition to that, mental hea...
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...erica’s Colleges and Universities. . Retrieved May 24, 2014, from http://www.casacolumbia.org/newsroom/op-eds/wasting-best-and-brightest-alcohol-and-drug-abuse-college-campuses
Kaminsky, M. (2005, June 1). The dangers of steroids. . Retrieved May 24, 2014, from http://boyslife.org/blgym/20007/the-dangers-of-steroids
Overweight and Obesity. (2014, March 28). . Retrieved May 24, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
Performance enhancing drugs: Know the risks. (2012, December 12). . Retrieved May 24, 2014, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/fitness/in-depth/performance-enhancing-drugs/art-20046134
The Controlled Substances Act http://www.fda.gov/regulatoryinformation/legislation/ucm148726.htm
Why and How Hair Loss Happens. (2014, March 25). . Retrieved May 25, 2014, from http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/hair_skin_nails/hair_loss
One way steroids affect players is the effect on the mind and mental health of users. When baseball players take steroids, they put their bodies at risk. The risks include psychiatric symptoms such as bipolar disorder (Mitchell 55). Studies have shown that if baseball players get involved with steroids, there is strong chance they will experience symptoms like bipolar disorder or severe depression. Steroids also affect the cardiovascular system. They can cause heart attacks and increased or decreased cholesterol levels, and also cause the heart to become enlarged (Mitchell 55). The cardiovascular system faces tragic effects when people decide to use steroids. The liver is affected by steroids also, as the liver can become impaired, become cancerous, and thus cause skin to yellow (Mitchell 55). The f...
Kuhn, C., Swartzwelder, S., and Wilson, W. Pumped: Straight Facts for Athletes about Drugs, Supplements, and Training. 2000. W.W. Norton, New York and London.
Jost, Kenneth. "Performance-Enhancing Drugs: An Overview." Performance Enhancing Drugs. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. At Issue. Rpt. from "Sports and Drugs." CQ Researcher 14 (23 July 2004): 616-622. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
Sortino, David. "The Dangers of Peds for Young Athletes." Press Democrat (Santa Rosa), 18 Aug. 2013: B9. eLibrary. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
"Anabolic steroids is the familiar name for synthetic substances related to the male sex hormones (e.g., testosterone). They promote the growth of skeletal muscle (anabolic effects) and the development of male sexual characteristics (androgenic effects) in both males and females”(National Institute on Drug Base).First, the benefits of steroids are very obvious to see. The user gains strength, mass, and speed in a short amount of time. Also, the user has a more aggressive attitude, which is good for football players. However, there are more bad side effects than good. The side effects include hair loss, acne, liver damage, kidney damage, increased breast tissue and becoming very aggressive. These are just some of the horrible bad side effects by using steroids.
Anabolic Steroids are a synthetic for of the naturally occurring hormone, testosterone. Anabolic steroids are used to promote accelerated muscle hypertrophy in both males and females.
You’ve all seen them, the enormously large muscle-heads at the gym, the participates of the World’s Strongest Man Competition, the amazing offensive tackles, and the lightning fast runners. They were all unnaturally strong, and looked like gods. You tend to obsess over how beautiful their bodies are, how strong they are, or how fast they can run. All you can think about is reaching that level of athletic excellence, and nothing will hold you back. At times like these some people tend to take the quick fit to get closer to their idols, in the form of steroids. But what individuals tend not see is the horrible side effects that accompany the use of these anabolic steroids. These powerful drugs have both positive and negative results from their use. Along with increased strength and size, users of steroids suffer from a wide range of sicknesses such as cancer, shrinkage of testicles, bad acne, hair loss, damage organs, intense mood swings, and impotence.
While the effects of steroids can seem desirable at first, there are serious side effects. Excessive use can cause a harmful imbalance in the body's normal hormonal balance and body chemistry. Heart attacks, water retention leading to high blood pressure and stroke, and liver and kidney tumors all are possible. Young people may develop and a halting of bone growth. Males may experience shrinking testicles, falling sperm counts, and enlarged prostates. Women frequently show signs of masculinity and may be at higher risk for certain types of and the possibility of birth defects in their children. The psychological effects of steroid use are also alarming: drastic mood swings, inability to sleep, and feelings of hostility. Steroids may also be psychologically addictive. Once started, users, particularly athletes, enjoy the physical "benefits" of increased size, strength, and endurance so much that they are reluctant to stop even when told about the risks. Major athletic competitions, including the Olympics, routinely screen athletes to prevent steroid use.
The intent of this essay is to show that steroids have many negative effects and that steroids, and other natural supplements, should be closely studied by the FDA. This essay will also support the claim that the professional sports industry needs to eliminate steroid use and set a good example for younger athletes.
Every year high school, college, and professional athletes try to get just ?a little bigger,??a little stronger,? and to increase the amount of weights they lift by, ?just a few pounds.? To achieve these goals athletes often turn to anabolic steroids to aid them in achieving their goals. Anabolic steroids are a quick, but dangerous way to increase muscle mass, and they can carry many risks including some life threatening side affects. Years after taking steroids athletes can live to have serious heart problems, sterility, or possibly not even live, all because of foolish decisions they made in the past. These potentially fatal drugs are not widely known by young athletes at all, because they don?t know about the risks that can go along with them. In school, every student is taught about marijuana, cocaine,heroin, sex, liquor, and all those other health risks, but they?re never taught about ?roids? or ?juice.? (slang words for steroids) That should be changed, because it is known that student athletes often use steroids, not knowing the risks. Many times they take the risk because they hear about professional athletes taking steroids. But, despite their widespread use in sports, steroids can have more negative than positive effects on athletes of all types. Steroids are chemical substances that can be made naturally by the body or produced synthetically. There are many different types of steroids that are used for different things other than just athletes enhancing muscles. For example, there are types of steroids that can be used by women as birth control pills, and other types that are used for menopause treatment. The abuse of steroids is almost always found to be in the case of athletes, and that is the focus of this paper. ?All anabolic steroids are synthetic compounds whose molecular structure is similar to that of the natural male sex hormone testosterone. Testosterone affects development of the male body in two important ways: it has an anabolic effect - increases growth, especially of muscular and skeletal tissue - And an androgenic effect - increased development of male sexual characteristics. Anabolic steroids are constructed stythetically in such a way that they maximize the anabolic effect of testosterone while minimizing the androgenic effect.? The way that steroids work can easily be interpreted by a foo...
Most people believe that steroids are a false measurement of an athletes ability, and others believe that steroids are good because athletes can become stronger and make their sports more exciting to watch. This is a very important issue today because athletes today are using steroids to gain an unfair advantage over the other athletes. Steroids can have many health effects on your body. Many doctors say not to use steroids because of the possible long-term effects. A source from a reputable website says, “It is speculated that possible long-term effects may include adverse cardiovascular effects such as heart damage and stroke” (“Steroid Abuse in Today’s Society”).
“Performance Enhancing Drugs: Know the Risks.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 June 2013
Steroids can seem harmless to the uninformed user but they actually have harmful side effects. According to the article “News examines relationship between steroids and heart-related deaths,” published by New York Daily News, “The study (presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago on Nov. 12, 2006) shows that deaths jumped from 476 from in 1980-1992 to 987 from in 1993-2005. Overall, 1,463 young athletes died between 1980 and 2005”(NY Daily News). This is a terrifying statistic and will only continue to rise.
Kayser, Bengt, Alexandre Mauron, and Andy Miah. "Viewpoint Legalisation of Performance-enhancing Drugs." The Lancet. The Lancet, Dec. 2005. Web. 6 Jan. 2014.
There are many different kinds of steroids; the most popular being anabolic steroids. When all is said and done, Anabolic-Androgenic steroids are pretty much nothing more than man-made testosterone. When they are used legally, which is for medical purposes, they are used to treat patients that have diseases which result in the loss of lean muscle mass. However, if you do not have one of these diseases and you use steroids, you are using them illegally. Getting caught using steroids carries some big penalties (InfoFacts).