Canadian track star Ben Johnson was denied his gold medal in the 1988 Olympics after he tested positive for anabolic steroids. This incident sparked worldwide attention to the extent of anabolic steroid use. To date, the International Olympic Committee has barred the use of seventeen anabolic steroids. Other organizations, including The National Football League, National Collegiate Athletic Association’s International Amateur Athletic Federation, and the International Federation of Body Builders have followed suit. Athletes and non-athletes alike are still abusing anabolic steroids to excel in sports. Anabolic steroids belong to a group of androgenic drugs. They are synthetic derivatives of testosterone and other male hormones. Most healthy adult males produce 2-10 milligrams of testosterone per day. Females produce trace amounts of this hormone. The hormone helps the body retain dietary protein, which aids in the growth of muscles, bones, and skin. They can also affect aggressiveness and sex drive. Steroids tend to mimic testosterone’s body building traits, while minimizing the masculine effect. The adrenal glands in women and young boys produce very little testosterone. It is the increase in the production of testosterone in young males that precipitates puberty. The anabolic effect of testosterone during puberty includes deepening of the voice, increasing muscle mass and strength, and decreasing body fat. All of this takes place without exercise or training. Anabolic steroids can be taken by injection, by mouth, by skin creams, or patches. Steroids are often taken in six to twelve week cycles. The dosage depends on the sport, as well as the perceived needs of the athlete. Depending on what they want to achieve, athletes control how they respond to the drug and the physiological effect it has on them. Athletes often take far higher doses of anabolic steroids than have been given for therapeutic use or in clinical studies. Some athletes use 10 to 100 times the amount their bodies produce. Anabolic steroids are primarily the result of research to develop drugs that would separate the tissue building capability of testosterone from its masculinizing properties. This separation has never been accomplished. By 1935, the basic nature of its anabolic and androgenic effects had been recognized by Dr. Charles Kochakian, who most experts consider the “Father of Steroids.” He showed that a hormone-like extract from male urine stimulated a strong positive nitrogen balance in castrated dogs. A positive nitrogen balance indicated the synthesis of new tissue proteins in dogs and humans.
Anabolic Steroids and Sports
Ever since their introduction into sports in the later 1950’s the use of anabolic steroids has been a controversial issue. Much debate has arisen dealing with whether steroids should be allowed for performance enhancement. If you’re not familiar with them, The 1994 Merrian-Webster Dictionary defines an anabolic steroid as, “any of a group of synthetic hormones sometimes taken by athletes in training to increase temporarily the size of their muscles.”
However, it’s not just the athletes preparing for rigorous competition that have been using these drugs. Business Weekly told of a study performed by the University of Illinois School of Public Health in which the results were shocking. According to Paul Goldstein, the chief investigator, individuals from all walks of life have admitted to the use of steroids. He states,”We’re finding firemen, students, lawyers, teachers- people from all economic classes–most of them taking the drugs for cosmetic reasons” (177) All of these individuals had admitted to use because of the positive effects the steroids provide for their appearance. Along with these positive effects also come the negative ones. Symptoms such as acne, psychotic states, paranoia, headaches, high blood pressure, heart failure, strokes, and liver and kidney damage with quite a lengthy list of other harmful side effects related to extensive use. According to Dr. Robert Vow in his book Drugs, Sports, and Politics, along with trying to keep competitions fair and equal for all who entered, these were the main reason that anabolics have been banned from sports since the 1976 Olympic games.
Since these early years, not much has been heard about the use of steroids. True, occasional incidents remind us they are still around . For instance, when Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medial in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and Lyle Alzado’s death in 1992. For the most part though things seemed to have quieted down. This is speculated to be from the growing efforts to educate athletes and individuals on the extreme dangers associated with these steroids. Along with this education, one can not escape hearing the horror stories about what these drugs have already done to others and what it will do to them after prolonged use. With such an impressively long list of harmful side effects associated with steroid use, one could be certain that individuals would shy away from them. After all, the original purpose is to enhance their physical stature, not risk damaging it.
