Performance Enhancing Drugs

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Performance Enhancing Drugs

When most people think of performance-enhancing drugs the first thought that comes to their minds is the illegal ones like steroids, but today there are more non-illegal drugs like creatine and androstenedione for people today. Creatine is a chemical produced by the kidney and found in meat product. It helps muscles recover after a workout, which in turn helps athletes bulk up faster (Gregorian 5). Creatine is used by many of the nations top college sports teams like Nebraska and Northwestern. The ?Husker Power? strength program uses creatine, where it is meticulously measured and poured to the contours of the designated athlete (Gregorian 1). It is also slurped and scarified down by 25% if of pro baseball, basketball and hockey players and 50% of the NFL players also (Gregorian 1). Androstenedione, also known as andro, is a synthetic chemical that is changed into testosterone by the kidney (Scruff 1), and while it is currently legal it is on the road to becoming illegal. It has fulfilled two of the three requirements for being a steroid and tests are being done about the third, and if ?passes? the third one it will be considered a steroid and become illegal. It has also been banned in professional tennis, the Olympics and the NFL (Regan 2). In addition, there are also the illegal ones such as steroids. Also a little known one by most of the public is a drug called, erythopoietin commonly referred to as EPO. EPO stimulates the body?s production of red blood cells which caries oxygen to muscles and all other parts of the body (Swift 2). Another one is growth hormones, which help muscles recover faster after a workout (Swift 2). A drug guru for some of the worlds top cyclists who had a ?forced? retirement said that, ?in the ?70s the most commonly used drugs were amphetamines; in the ?80s, anabolic steroids and cortisone; and in the ?90s, growth hormones and EPO? (Swift 12). One sad thing about today?s athletes is that in 1995, 198 athletes were surveyed. In the survey they were asked if they were offered a banned performance enhancer with the guarantee that that they wouldn?t be caught, and they would win. Of the 198 surveyed 195 said yes and only 3-said no. Then the same people were asked the same question but they would also win every competition for five years, where after which they would die from the side effects. Sti...

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Works Cited:

Bamburger, Michael. ?Over the Edge.? Sports Illustrated. 14 April, 1997: 60+.

Sirs Researcher. Sirs Knowledge Source Millard South High School

Library, Omaha NE. 16 Nov. 2000. www.sirs.com.

Irving, Carter. ?High School Athletes Play with Health.? Kansas City Star. 20 Oct.

1999: D1+. Sirs Researcher. Sirs Knowledge Source Millard South High School Library, Omaha NE. 16 Nov. 2000. www.sirs.com.

?Drug Official Says Andro to be Classified as a Steroid.? Las Angles Times. 27

June 2000: 2. Electric Lib. Millard South High School Lib. Omaha, NE. 16

Nov. 2000. www.elibrary.com.

Gregorian, Vahe. ?The Muscle Tussle.? St. Louis Post. 31 May 1998: 5. Electric

Lib. Millard South High School Lib. Omaha, NE. 16 Nov. 2000. www.elibrary.com.

Regan, Tom. ?Rising Clash Over Drugs in Sports.? Christian Science Monitor. 12

Aug. 1999: n.p. Sirs Knowledge Source Millard South High School

Library, Omaha NE. 16 Nov. 2000. www.sirs.com.

Swift, E.M. ?Drug Pedaling.? Sports Illustrated. 5 July 1999: 60-60. Sirs

Knowledge Source Millard South High School Library, Omaha NE. 16 Nov. 2000. www.sirs.com.

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