More handpicked essays just for you.
The effects of steroids on the human body
Effect of anabolic steroids on athletes
The effects of steroids on the human body
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The use and abuse of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids
In a world of increasingly competitive sports, many collegiate and professional athletes test positive for the abuse of illegal performance enhancing drugs. A common drug used is known as the Anabolic-Androgenic steroid. The proper use of AAS when administered by health officials can help individuals with particular health conditions and hormone deficiencies. When an individual takes higher levels of AAS then what the body may require naturally, serious physical and psychological side effects may occur. In this research paper I will be explaining the short and long term effects on the body of abusing this steroid.
Steroids occur naturally in our bodies. The major anabolic steroid found in our bodies is testosterone. (1) AAS is derived synthetically from testosterone. (3) Testosterone is the main sex hormone in males and is responsible for the growth effects during the years of male adolescence and into later years of adulthood. Nearly every cell in the body has proteins that act as receptors for AAS. Therefore the anabolic and androgenic response in the body is determined by the location and type of the cells and the nature of the steroid. (7) This hormone has two major effects on one’s body. The Anabolic effect promotes muscle growth by increasing the rate of protein synthesis within each cell. The Androgenic effects in testosterone are primarily responsible for traits in males such as the deepening of one's voice and the growth of facial hair. (1)
AAS were designed originally to provide greater tissue building capabilities and protein synthesis with minimal effects of masculinizing. There are close to 60 available distinctive AAS that are all slightly different in their che...
... middle of paper ...
...re acne lesions. These contain larger amounts of of skin lipids such as free fatty acids and cholesterol. Heart problems, liver tumors, and high blood pressure, and a decrease in libido are also physical side effects.
Some psychological side effects in men and women include major depression, and mood swings, mania and hypomania (experiencing an extremely high even euphoric state then in contrast experiencing an extreme low or depressed state, similar to bipolar disorder).(6) Users may also become addicted to the substance.(1)
The effects are clear. Though temporary improvements in muscle mass and overall athletic ability may be an effect of abusing AAS, it is not a worthwhile endeavor. While these hormones can be very useful to improve the quality of health in some very specific cases, the abuse of such substances can cause serious physical and psychological damage.
In American high schools across the country, many people buy, sell, and use drugs. In addition, these people influence everyone around them. On these campuses, some of the people influenced by this illegal activity are sports players. One of the sports most affected is baseball. Doping in baseball is wrong because it ruins baseball's reputation, it negatively influences the athlete's health, and the drugs are bad for young people who hold up athletes as role models.
Anabolic steroids have become an epidemic amongst athletes since the 1950's when a Swiss company by the name of Ciba Pharmaceuticals introduced what was to become the most popular anabolic drug for athletes called methandrostenolone. “By this time, the era of the steroid athlete was well underway and world records were being shattered and re-shattered with remarkable regularity.” (Oklobdzija & Weyrauch, 1989, para 3) From then on, there have been many cases throughout professional sports where athletes are reported or caught using anabolic steroids.
Professional athletes, throughout history, have been exalted for their outstanding abilities and achievements in sports. Unfortunately, many athletes have turned to anabolic steroids in order to give them an edge, a boost their athletic performance. Starting with the 1954 World Weightlifting Championships, where the Soviets unexpectedly dominated their lifting classes with the use of steroids, it has become increasingly popular among athletes to cheat with the help of this drug. Although the appeal to steroid use is evident when observing how it increases someone’s athletic abilities, many users fail to consider the detrimental side effects of the drug. Also, in my opinion, athletes should be expected to perform based upon their natural abilities, opposed to abilities enhanced by anabolic steroids. Ultimately, anabolic steroids should continue to be illegal in professional sports due to their major health risks and the unfair advantage they serve players.
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-androgenic steroids are a group of hormones, which includes the natural male hormone, testosterone, and a number of synthetic compounds. "Anabolic" refers to muscle building, while "androgenic" refers to increased masculine characteristics. Anabolic effects are basically muscle growth. Androgenic effects produce secondary male sex characteristics like facial hair, body hair, deepening of the voice, and so on. In the 1950's scientists were trying to isolate the muscle building properties without the masculinizing effects. This lead to the development of synthetic anabolic steroids.
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.
Abstract: Since the beginning of sports competition, athletes have always looked for some kind of edge over their competitors. They will do whatever it takes to be one of the elite, and that includes injecting supplements into their bodies to make them bigger, stronger, and faster. Steroid use is probably one of the most common drug misuses in sports competition. Athletes found that with anabolic steroids, one could become a better athlete twice as fast. Not until 1975 was the drug first banned from Olympic competition because of the health risks it produced.
William Layman and William Annitto have had a case of a young man who was
Anabolic steroids are a type of synthetic drug that are aimed to copy the effects of the hormone testosterone. What this does is boost the levels of development of male reproductive tissues which i...
Anabolic steroids were first developed in 1930 when scientists attempted and successfully created a synthetic form of testosterone. This synthetic product was created for the intent that it will aide men who were unable to generate a sufficient amount of testosterone for a safe and balanced growth (Anabolic Steroids, 2013). Steroids simply function by converting proteins into muscle at an accelerated speed, which is the major influence for users. Over the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of teenagers experimenting with steroids with little or no awareness of the side effects. According to “teenagers at risk for use of performance enhancers” journal article, 76% of the teens who responded to the survey could not identify any negative side effects of steroids (Schneider.M, 2004). Another study in the Sydney Morning Herald’s “Steroid Use Soars among young men” article, the 2013 needle syringe program survey, by the Kirby Institute at the University of NSW, found 74 per cent of people in NSW who started injecting illicit substances in the past three years had sought out performance- and image-enhancing drugs, compared with only 27 per cent in 2003. This increase of steroid use may ...
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgenic steroids, are drugs that are related to the cyclic steroid ring system and have similar effects to testosterone in the body. They increase protein within cells, especially in skeletal muscles. They address the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics such as the growth of the vocal cords, testicles and body hair. Anabolic steroids were first made in the 1930s, and are now used therapeutically in medicine to stimulate bone growth and appetite, induce male puberty and treat chronic wasting conditions; such as cancer and AIDS. The American College of Sports Medicine acknowledges that AAS, in the presence of adequate diet, can contribute to increases in body weight, often as lean mass increases and that the gains in muscular strength achieved through high-intensity exercise and proper diet can be additionally increased by the use of AAS in some individuals.
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.
Over one million American seek short cuts to larger muscles and greater endurance with anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. Steroids are drugs that act like chemical in the body. Most steroids are transformed into testosterone when they enter the body. Testosterone is a male growth hormone. While user may gain short-term results, they are seriously shortchanging their health (Kalawalski 13-15).
Anabolic steroids also have long-term consequences legally. Anabolic steroids are classified as controlled substances under U.S. federal law and the laws of many states (Collins). Since the non-medical possession or sale of anabolic steroids is illegal, strength athletes must not only consider the possible health risks but also the potential legal consequences of involvement (Collins). Many athletes who take or sell anabolics have no clue as to what might happen if they were to be caught by law enforcement. According to Rick Collins, in 1991 Congress placed anabolic steroids into schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. Under this legislation steroids are defined as, “any drug or hormonal substance, chemically and pharmacologically related to Testosterone that promotes muscle growth” (Collins). There is a maximum of 1 year in prison and a $1,000 fine for using or buying steroid. The penalty for trafficking for a 1st offense is a maximum of 5 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The penalty for a 2nd offense for trafficking the punishment above doubles (Collins).
Another dangerous substance is anabolic steroids. People use anabolic steroids as an illegal way to enhance their testosterone within their body as well as increase their muscle mass. Every time someone uses anabolic steroids it is considered abuse because using anabolic steroids is never recommended for you by any officials. Side effects of the drug can result in paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment from a large ego. (Steroids) Long term effects include euphoria, confusion, sleeping disorders, pathological anxiety, paranoia, and hallucinations.