Use of Steroids in Sports

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As the use of performance enhancing drugs is becoming more popular among athletes, many of them don't understand the risks involved in taking these drugs. Many people are looking for a quick way to build muscle, or to get stronger the fastest way possible. Using these performance aids may very well be a quick fix for many athletes, but taking these supplements is unethical and dangerous. Using special drugs to boost an athletes performance is degrading to sports and to the athlete. The human body can produce the same substances naturally, without taking drugs, but people continue to load up on these supplements such as creatine or androstenedione. If the athlete is patient and works hard he can achieve the same strength that he would obtain using supplements. Athletes are trying to cheat using unnatural shortcuts to gain their muscle instead of spending the long hours in the weight room.

Athletes should not take these supplements because it is harmful to their health, to sports, and to future athletes who follow their example by using these dangerous substances. These ergogenic aids popularity is growing among young teenage athletes which see big superstars taking certain drugs and they expect their athletic ability to be boosted if they take these drugs too. On the contrary, taking these supplements are especially dangers when used by adolescents.

The ergogenic aid called creatine is used to build muscle mass very rapidly. Many people consume this supplement without even knowing the consequences or potential hazardous when they use this drug. It is true that creatine will build muscle mass in most people and it works fast, but in contradiction to that it may not work for everyone and there are side effects which are jus...

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...ks Cited

Eichner, E. Randy, MD. "Ergogenic Aids: What Athletes are using? and why." 4 April 1997, n.pag.Online. World Wide Web http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1997/04apr/eichner.htm 14 Oct. 1998

Ford, Peter. "Unmixing Sports and Drugs." Christian Science Moniter 5 Aug. 1998 n.pag.

Fontenot, Beth. "The creatine craze: Such ergogenic promise but at what price?" Nutrition Forum Mar-April 1998:11

Jones, Marion. "Mark McGwire's Muscle Pills: Supplements or Steroids?" 26 Aug. 1998, n.pag. Online. World Wide Web. http://www.foxnews.com/health/082698/sluggerdrugs.sml 19 Oct. 1998

Schrof, Joannie M. "McGwire hits the pills: Brawn-building supplements also deliver serious risks." U.S. News & World Report 7 Sept. 1998:53

Springen, Karen and Marc Peyser. "The new muscle candy: experts wrestle with questions about creatine." Newsweek 12 Jan 1998:68

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