Androstenedione And The Anabolic Age Essay, Research Paper

ANDROSTENEDIONE AND THE ANABOLIC AGE There has always been a sense of competition in the world. In Biblical times, competition was a necessary tool for survival. Animals and people struggled to survive. This was a competitive struggle because there was not enough resources for those that wanted them. Over the course of history, competition has become more prominent in the workplace. In the workplace, people are competing for sales, promotion techniques, and other business related issues. One business that has grown to tremendous lengths is sports. In sports though, the competition is always for one thing: winning. If you are not the best at what you do in sports, you are fired or traded to another team. This is why many athletes are now trying to find better ways to stay on top of their game. Off-season training, weightlifting, and muscle enhancers like steroids or anabolic steroids are becoming more and more common today. With the salaries that athletes are earning and the pressure put on them by fans, coaches, families, and themselves, it is very understandable that they use these resources to enable themselves to perform at the levels that they need to stay competitive. Off-season training and weightlifting are perfectly legal and are recommended by all exercise specialists. But steroids and anabolic steroids aren t always legal, nor are they appropriate for all athletes to use. That is the question that needs to be answered. What forms of steroids and anabolic steroids should be allowed for use and who should be able to use them?Since ancient history, many athletes have resorted to performance enhancing aids to give them an edge on their opponents. Greek Olympians used strychnine and hallucinogenic mushrooms to psyche up for an event. “In 1886 a French cyclist was the first athlete to die from using a performance enhancer, called speedballs, a mixture of cocaine and heroin. In the 1920’s, physicians inserted slices of monkey testicles into male athletes to help boost vitality. In the 1930’s Adolf Hitler allegedly administered the hormone testosterone to himself and his troops to increase aggressiveness.” (Schrof, 54) Athletes had already begun using the male hormone testosterone to boost performance by the 1940’s. The first synthetic anabolic steroid was developed in 1953, having a strength building effect five times stronger than the natural hormone testosterone. Not since the development of the anabolic steroid has any performance enhancer been so effective and so desired by athletes. Steroids became a household name when the spreading exposure reached athletes in the Olympics and other major sporting events during the 1950 s. This use of steroids among athletes became apparent when Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for steroid use after winning the gold medal for the 100 meter dash during the 1988 Olympics. Today, black market sales of anabolic steroids are topping $400 million per year. One million Americans, half of them adolescents, use black market steroids. (Schrof, 54)Recent statistics report that over 3 million athletes and bodybuilders, in this country alone, have used anabolic steroids. A recent Sports Illustrated article has stated that 90% of professional athletes have taken some form of illegal performance enhancing drugs. This increase in performance enhancing drugs is happening among a vast array of scare tactics, steroid testing, new steroid legislation, and education programs, which have been designed to directly put an end to their usage. (Buckley)The popularity of anabolic steroids is due to their powerful strength and muscle building properties. Strength and portrayed strength (a large muscular physique) are two factors that are directly related to the need that man has to be dominant over others. In our society we have always praised the athletes that achieve the most amazing physical feats or that have achieved cosmetic perfection. Realistically, to many people, having large muscles enhances confidence, strength, and physical attraction from the opposite sex, which can lead to positive popularity. Being abnormally strong can also dramatically aid an individual s performance in most sports. Anabolic steroids have been looked upon as the best and almost overnight way to achieve an extraordinary physique which leads to instant personal gratification.In addition to the cosmetic and physical benefits of these drugs, anabolic steroids have also gained some valuable use in the medical community. Their most beneficial use is in the treatment of wasting syndrome that is associated with many diseases, especially AIDS (Cairo). New legislation is now being passed in this country so that anabolic steroids may be legally administered by prescription to AIDS patients. The U.S. has strict laws that enforce and regulate the sale of anabolic steroids (Cairo). This makes attaining these pharmaceutical drugs very difficult. Black market entrepreneurs have taken advantage of this opportunity and have made small fortunes selling steroids in their underground pharmacies. These pharmacies are usually a gym bag full of steroids in a gym locker room or bathroom (Yesalis). The biggest problem associated with black market steroid purchasing is the large possibility of acquiring drugs of uncertain consistency, quality, or potency. (Cairo, Yesalis)As with every illicitly used drug today, the steroid user also has to experience a first time. This is usually due to personal interest and or peer pressure. Many drug pushers promote steroid use among their peers to help make them more money. Remember that everyone wants to fit in and being strong and looking good can help. Anabolic steroids may be an easy short cut to a phenomenal physique that will gain many young users much popularity and self confidence. People are generally never completely satisfied with the results that they achieve from using steroids because they know that if they use just a little bit more they will get just a little bit bigger and stronger. This thought cycle continues until the user is on a roller coaster of abuse that usually leads to physical and mental health problems. A lack of education about the safest ways to use these drugs may also contribute to their health risks. (Buckley, Anabolic Steroids) There are generally two methods of delivery of anabolic steroids into the body. These delivery methods comprise of oral ingestion or direct muscular injection. According to Charles Yesalis, the most popular injectable forms of anabolic steroids used in America today are Deca-Durabolin, Testosterone Cypionate, Equipose and Sostenon 250. These steroids tend to be less toxic on the liver than oral steroids. This is because oral steroids have an altered chemical composition that allows them to stay intact through the digestive process and through liver metabolism. Many individuals prefer oral steroids because they hate the needles and all of the medical risks that come with them. (Yesalis, Buckley) The most popular oral steroids, today, are Anadrol 50, Winstrol and Primabolan (Yesalis). All anabolic steroids have both androgenic and anabolic properties. Unfortunately, all anabolic steroids have undesirable side effects. Typically, the perfect steroid would be purely anabolic because the majority of the side effects associated with steroid abuse usually occur because of the drugs androgenic qualities. Some mild steroids such as Deca-Durabolin, Winstrol, Anavar and Primabolan have minimal androgenic qualities and therefore would be considered clean steroids or the safest to use. Anavar might be the cleanest steroid ever made but it is still slightly toxic to the liver because it must be taken orally. (Yesalis, Buckley) Anadrol 50 is the strongest all around steroid. This is a very high androgen steroid that is in turn also extremely anabolic. For this reason it is a favorite among bodybuilders and weightlifters. Anadrol 50 has a high price tag of high liver toxicity and adverse reactions on the hypothalamus resulting in abnormal hormonal secretions. Anadrol 50, along with being the most potent steroid, is also the most harmful to the body. Anadrol commonly can cause acne and induce early onset male pattern baldness. Water retention , hypertension, gynecomastia, headaches, and stomach aches are also frequently reported side effects from using this drug. (Buckley, Yesalis)Long term use of any anabolic steroid can result in the body s breakdown. In addition, our body can also grow immune to a specific steroid. In an attempt to reduce the risks associated with steroid abuse and increase their benefits, many athletes have placed much emphasis on proper cycling of these drugs. They use different combinations of steroids on a regular schedule. These combinations are often times called stacks. Using these cycles, athletes can increase how the steroid works to benefit their needs. Some cycles can decrease fat more rapidly, some cause quicker muscle bulk, while others simply cause the athlete to work out longer with less recovery time for the body. (Yesalis, Buckley)The negative effects obtained from using steroids can be numerous and veryserious. Anabolic steroids can cause many health related conditions, some minor, some major. One fact that is often overlooked is, like cigarettes, steroids are very addicting to the body. Three to six weeks following steroid use, users often lose most of the size and strength that they achieved. During this time they may also experience depression and anxiety because of the lack of natural body chemicals that are produced during the steroid use.

Steroids are powerful strength and muscle builders but unfortunately, as mentioned before, have many unwanted side effects. Although the side effects are many, people will continue to use them. The reason for this is simply because anabolic steroids work well for what they are used for, minus the side effects. As it looks today, the only thing that will slow the use of steroids may be the invention of an effective alternative. Some consider taking steroids in a smaller dose to be this effective alternative, but the side effects, regardless of the lack of frequent use, are still to great to the user. Last summer s Major League Baseball Season is a great example of how the use of anabolic steroids can effect an athlete in his/her respective sport. Last summer, Major League Baseball (MLB) endured one of its best seasons ever, from a fans standpoint. The St. Louis Cardinals Mark McGwire and the Chicago Cubs Sammy Sosa both chased and caught the MLB record for home-runs in a season. Fans turned out in ball parks in record numbers, hoping to see Mark or Sammy break Roger Maris record set back in the early 1960 s. In the end, it was McGwire who broke the record first and ended the season with a record 70 home-runs. Still, many baseball fans aren t quite sure how sensational his home runs really were. McGwire uses a new chemical called Androstenedione, a substance that many are calling a new steroid. McGwire was not using an illegal substance such as an anabolic steroid, however. First of all, what is andro? Androstenedione is found in all animals and even some plants. It isn t, however, the typical anabolic steroid that is a substitute for testosterone. Andro simply raises how fast testosterone is given off to the body. This makes Andro a completely different drug because it is not a true anabolic steroid. Joannie M. Schrof, author of McGwire hits the pills: brawn-building supplements also deliver serious risks , says that andro is produced in the body in small amounts, by the gonads and the adrenal gland. It is in the liver where it is transformed into testosterone (Schrof 53). By increasing the level of testosterone in the body, it allows users to train harder and recover quickly from injuries (Schrof 53). Subsequently, players that use Andro obtain an advantage over those that don t in areas of training and overall physical performance. Andro is suggested to be taken on an empty stomach, an hour before you work out.The real controversy over Andro stems from the fact that it can be harmful to the body, much like a regular anabolic steroid. Sandra Levy, author of The Andro Craze, says that andro stunts growth in adolescents and can ultimately cause liver damage and increased risk of prostate cancer. Taking andro increases the level of testosterone in the body up to three times higher than normal for about two to three hours after ingestion. High levels of testosterone can shut off linear growth and stunt height for athletes who are not fully matured and can be devastating to their future athletic career (Levy 60). It can also cause elevated LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol and elevate blood pressure. It can permanently stunt growth, interrupt puberty, and lead to sterility, says Charles Yesalis, a professor of health and human development at Penn State and co-author of The Steroids Game, the sports world s bible on performance enhancers (Schrof 53). It is also said to cause acne, oily skin, testicular shrinkage, gynecomastia (breast enlargement in men), and hair loss, much like regular steroids do. Many of these adverse effects are at the top of the sports worlds mind. Much concern revolves around youngsters taking the drug at the adolescent age until they have completely finished maturation. The major effects upon the unfinished development of the body could be severe to young athletes.In addition to all of the physical effects that andro can have, it can also have psychological effects, too. Andro can cause uncontrolled anger or aggression and can even lead to some psychosis if very high doses [of the drugs] are maintained (Levy 60). It can also improve one s self-esteem. Also, many kids use andro because Mark McGwire uses it. The sight of a huge sports figure has a great influence upon them. Michael Jordan promotes basketball shoes, Grant Hill promotes Sprite, and McGwire, arguably the largest sports figure in the past months, has been openly promoting an anabolic steroid. They think that if he uses it and can hit home-runs, they could use it and have the same outstanding performances. However, children and young athletes don t do any research before they make their choices. In addition, Andro can also increase the sex drive in women. Scott Connelly, president of Met-Rx, says that based on the evidence we have seen, [androstenedione] may have a direct effect on the libido of post-menopausal women (McGraw 54). Even though andro is a very controversial drug, there is no controversy in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), where it has been banned. Instead of taking risks with untested and unproven drugs, they have just eliminated it. Though performance and winning is an import value in amateur athletics, the NCAA has made the safety of its athletes its number one priority. The Olympics have followed the NCAA s lead by also stressing its athletes health. Andro has been banned from the Olympics, too. In pro sports, however, the National Football League (NFL) is the only sport that has officially banned andro. There is a huge controversy in the MLB right now, because of Mark McGwire s record breaking season last year. Some say that what he accomplished last season will forever be marred because of the illicit drug. It has not been banned from baseball yet, but there is research being done that might change that. Andro is also still legal in the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and Major League Soccer (MLS). The use of Andro in professional sports could be attributed to the fact that athletes are paid to perform well for the fans and the team. Not only are the athletes feeling pressure from the other players and coaches, but they are also feeling the pressures of everyday life. If using Andro is going to boost their performance, than many athletes feel it s their choice to use it. The better they perform, the more money they can make. Andro is one of today s most controversial over-the-counter drugs. It is much like an anabolic steroid that is used to help with training and overall performance. It has been banned from the NCAA, the Olympics, and the NFL, but it is legal to use it in the NBA, the MLB, the NHL, and the MLS. Because Andro is a brand new drug, there hasn t been much research done on it. Though there is concrete proof that it is harmful to the body, much of the data has not been validated because the drug is so new. Until more research can be done on Andro, it will remain a controversy in the world of sports.Competition is present in everyone s lives. People are competing everyday. In the workplace, in school, and in sports. The use of steroids and anabolic steroids is something that is more common now than it was several years ago. There is increased pressure every year for athletes to perform at high levels. If athletes can t perform how their coaches see fit, then they might loose their job or be traded. The use of steroids and anabolic steroids can keep these athletes performing the way that they need to stay competitive. Even though the use of steroids and anabolic steroids can be harmful to the body and mind, many athletes are willing to take these risks. With all of the choices that young athletes have to make in life, the use of drugs is probably the toughest one to make. There is so much pressure to perform that if taking something can help athletes perform, it is a no-brainer; they would do it. Until more research can be done on these substances and athletes can be taught about the adverse effects of these substances, the use of steroids and anabolic steroids will continue.

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