The use of Anabolic steroids for performance enhancement in
elite athletes has been evident for over half a century. The use of steroids
has many physical and psychological effects on the individual both positive and
negative and is used by both males and females. This use is not only found in
elite professional athletes but also in amateur’s sportsman and sportswomen as
the drug is surprisingly cheap and is readily available on the black market
(Bowers, Clark & Shackleton 2009).
Anabolic Steroids are synthetic derivatives of the male
hormone testosterone which when injected or taken orally can show strong
effects on the human body that can benefit athletic performance (Hartgens &
Kuipers 2004). The first recorded use of steroids to enhance athlete’s
performance was in the early 1950’s by a doctor called John Ziegler. Dr Ziegler
was a physician for the American weight lifting team and became interested in
the use of steroids at the 1954 world championship when he learned of the
benefits of steroids from the Russian team doctor (Bowers, Clark &
Shackleton 2009). He then began trailing the drug on his athletes back in
America in 1959 which in turn started a snow ball effect on the uncontrolled
use of the drug by athletes. Once the weightlifters learned that this drug was
the reason for their rapid increase in strength, demand grew and the regulation
of the drug became uncontrollable. Bowers, Clark & Shackleton (2009, p.285)
states that Dr Ziegler lost control of the “experiment” and due to the
competitive nature of professional sport if ‘two tablets where good, four
tablets would be better’ according to the athletes. Over the next decade, the
use of steroids in American weightlifters, football players and strength
athletes was estimated at 50% (Bowers, Clark & Shackleton 2009).
For many
years, the medical community argued that there was no proof that steroids
enhanced athletic performance. It wasn’t until advances in medicine and drug
testing that the adverse effects of steroids on the human body became clear;
still it wasn’t until the late 1960’s that efforts were made to catch steroid
cheats in sport (McBride & Williamson 1993).
The most appealing effect of the use of Anabolic steroids is
the predicted increase in muscle mass and strength which far outweighs the
increase without the use of the drug. Hartgens & Kuipers (2004) concluded
that short term administration of anabolic steroids can increase strength about
5-20% of initial strength and an increase of 2-5kg in body weight. The same
study found that there was no reduction of fat mass and no effect on endurance
performance. However, George (2003) states that diet and intensive training are
equally important in producing the significant increase in strength. Although,
no matter how positive these results seem to be on performance, the negative
physical and psychological effects, both short and long term, far outweigh the
positive effects. Bahrke et al. (1992) found in a study done on weightlifters,
that short term psychological effects of steroid use included extreme
aggression, high irritability and insomnia. Apart from the increase in muscle
mass and strength, the negative physical effects according to Hartgens &
Kuipers (2004) include severe acne and the increased growth of body hair.
However, it has been found that the short term physical and psychological can
be reversed with discontinued use of the drug (George 2003).
It is the long term
effects of constant abuse of steroid use that cause permanent damage. Due to
the physiological effect of the body retaining water and salt when exposed to
steroid abuse, this has been proven to cause high blood pressure along with
high cholesterol (Hartgens & Kuipers 2004). After long term use of steroids
it has also been established that the body will begin to have a psychological
dependency which in turn, causes further issues. Hartgens & Kuipers (2004)
found that once a long term user stops using steroids, the dependence on the
drug caused psychological dissatisfaction with their body which is now being
called ‘reverse anorexia syndrome’. The discontinued use of long term abuse has
also been linked to withdrawal effects which lead to depression and in some
cases has lead to criminality and even suicide (George 2003). Also, constant
use of steroids has also proven that it disturbs the natural production on
testosterone in the body (George 2003). One long term physical effect that has
become common among steroid users is the development of gynaecomastia which is
an increase of breast tissue on the male and causes their chest to look
feminine. This is caused by the steroids creating excess testosterone levels in
the body and the bodies reaction to this is to turn the excess testosterone
into the female hormone estrogen (George 2003); which also can go on to cause
further psychological effects. Almost all
studies on the effects of steroids have been conducted on males and there are
very few done on the effects on women. One study done solely on women reported
results very similar results as studies done on males. Interestingly, apart
from finding an increase in muscle mass and masculinity in the subjects, the
study predominantly found major psychological changes in the women. 76% of the
subjects reported at least one adverse effect of the steroid use which included
major depression, development of eating disorders and chronic dissatisfaction
and obsession with their physiques (Gruber, A.J & Pope, H.G 2000). However,
much more research must be done to further understand these changes in women.
Solid medical research has
proven that all these physical and psychological effects are linked to the use
of anabolic steroids, but Bahrke, Yesalis & Wright (1990) show that these
vary greatly from person to person.
The use of Anabolic steroids for performance enhancement has
become a pressing issue in the sporting world. The studies done that have
proven the effects of the drug on the human body show there is an appeal for
all classes of athletes, from the elite to young men and women in youth
development programs, no matter how severe the negative effects of the drug
are. Thus, it is clear that more research must go into the use of steroids so
that people can be better educated about its dangerous properties and the abuse
of the drug to be controlled. However, in the foreseeable future, it’s evident
that the misuse of the drug will continue.
By Jordan Reeve
References
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Bahrke, M.S, Yesalis III, C.E, Wright, J.E (1990).
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Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids among Males. Journal
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Bowers, L.D, Clark, R.V & Shackleton, C.H.L (2009).
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George, J (2003). The Actions and Side Effects of Anabolic
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Gruber, A.J, Pope, H.G (2000). Psychiatric and Medical
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Androgenic-Anabolic Steroids in Athletes. Journal
of Sports Medicine, 34(8), 513-554.
Mcbride, A & Williamson, K (1993). Anabolic Steroids in
Sport. British Medical Journal, 307(6897),
204.
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