Steroids - Overview
Overview
It is true that high doses of anabolic-androgenic steroids increase muscle size and endurance in both men and women. But this does not come without dangerous costs to the health of the user. "Research has shown that the inappropriate use of anabolic steroids can have catastrophic medical, psychiatric and behavioral consequences," wrote Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in "Consequences of the Abuse of Anabolic Steroids." Volkow added: "We are now facing a very damaging message that is becoming [widespread] in our society—that bigger is better, and being the best is more important than how you get there."
In fact, use of high doses of anabolic-androgenic steroids by men and women has been linked to heart problems, negative sexual side effects, aggressive behavior, depression, and suicide. The way steroids are misused to build muscle leads to chemical imbalances in the body that can affect the mind and the body's metabolismThe process by which food is converted to energy that the body uses to function.. "Steroids are toxic [harmful and poisonous] substances that have to be cleaned from your body by your liver and kidneys," noted Terry Goodland in Flex magazine. Goodland added, "without regular testing by a doctor, you will have no idea how your body is dealing with the drugs until it's too late."
Research on Testosterone
The history of experimentation with testosterone, the main hormone associated with male characteristics, began in 1889. That year, French-born scientist Charles Edouard Brown-Sequard (1817–1894) reported that he had injected himself with a compound taken from the testicles of dogs. He said the compound made him feel stronger and more energetic. In fact, he recommended it highly as a "fountain of youth."
In the early twentieth century, scientists experimented with natural testosterone. They thought it might decrease symptoms of age-related illnesses and syndromes such as senility (suh-NILL-ihtee), a condition associated with old age that decreases a person's ability to think clearly and make decisions.
Testosterone was first isolated in a European laboratory in 1935, and synthetic versions of the hormone quickly followed. These were the first anabolic-androgenic steroids. Doctors began using the synthetic steroids to treat men who suffered from hypogonadism (high-poh-GO-nad-izm), which is the inability of the body to produce enough natural testosterone. Steroids have been prescribed by doctors for this purpose ever since.
Olympic-Sized Abuse
At the end of World War II (1939–1945), when Allied troops liberated prisoners from the Nazi concentration camps, many of the survivors were at the brink of death from starvation. Doctors gave some of these former prisoners anabolic-androgenic steroids to help restore their muscle mass and gain their weight back quickly. Soon after, bodybuilders and athletes began taking steroids to further develop their already-fit bodies. Historians believe that the abuse of synthetic steroids began in the weight lifting and bodybuilding communities in the late 1940s and spread to some Olympic sports by the 1950s.
Effective drug tests for anabolic-androgenic steroids did not exist before the early 1970s. Steroid use was widespread during that time in Olympic sports, particularly among Eastern European
competitors. Both female and male athletes from various countries in Europe broke records—and roused suspicions—with their heavily muscled frames. When questioned later about their training methods, many of these young athletes said they just took the "vitamins" their trainers offered and never asked what might be in them. (Barry Bonds [1964– ], the 2004 National League Most Valuable Player and record-holder for single-season home runs as of 2005, would later make the same claim when accused of abusing steroids in 2005.)
In 1975 the International Olympic Committee banned use of all anabolic-androgenic steroids and began a testing policy to keep steroid users out of the Olympics. The tests were only effective when they were done randomly. If athletes knew the test date ahead of time, they could cease steroid use beforehand. This would give them enough time to clean their systems of the drug and avoid detection. Scandal erupted at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, when Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson (1961– ) tested positive for banned substances after winning a gold medal in the 100–meter dash. Johnson had to forfeit his medal to the runner-up, American Carl Lewis (1961– ).
Abuse Floods Other Sports
When Johnson lost his medal, the situation helped call attention to the rampant use of steroids in almost every high-level competitive sport. According to retired professional football player Steve Courson (1955– ), author of False Glory: Steelers and Steroids—The Steve Courson Story, many football players of the 1980s bulked up with steroids. In fact, Courson barely survived a damaged heart after taking steroids during his playing career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Since then the National Football League (NFL) has set down a strict set of guidelines regarding the use of steroids and other banned substances. The league's official "Steroid Policy," posted on the NFL Players Association Web site, notes that the league specifically "prohibits the use by NFL players of anabolic/androgenic steroids." The policy further states that such "substances have no legitimate place in professional football" and that "steroids and related substances threaten to distort the results of games and League standings." Furthermore, "the League is concerned with the adverse health effects of steroid use," along with "the wrong message [that a player's use of prohibited substances sends] to young people who may be tempted to use them."
Professional wrestling was popular in the 1980s as well. Many of the stars of that sport were involved in steroid abuse, too. Anabolicandrogenic steroids were also the drugs of choice for weight lifters and bodybuilders.
Women and Steroids
Young women began using steroids not only to improve their athletic ability but also to slim down and reduce body fat quickly. According to an article titled "Girls Are Abusing Steroids Too, Experts Say," published on MSNBC.com in 2005, the rate of steroid use among teenage girls has been rising since 1991. The article notes that "overall, up to about 5 percent of high school girls and 7 percent of middle school girls admit trying anabolic steroids at least once."
Steroids are also sometimes used by women in the aftermath of traumatic, dangerous, or life-threatening attacks, such as rape or assault. The psychology behind this type of use involves the woman's desire to appear stronger, less vulnerable, and consequently less likely to be the target of a future attack.
Steroids Join List of Controlled Substances
Concerns about the long-term health issues surrounding steroids led the U.S. government in 1991 to place all prescription steroids on the Schedule III list of controlled substances. However, this did not end steroid abuse. A $500-million-year black market developed, with dealers offering "juice" or "gear" of unknown strength and purity to people of all ages. American dealers typically smuggle steroids across the border to the United States from Mexico.
Illegal underground laboratories began creating compounds such as tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) that could not be detected in urine. Interest in herbal dietary supplementsProducts including vitamins, herbal extractions, and synthetic amino acids sold for specific uses such as weight loss, muscle building, or prevention of disease., such as ephedra, creatine, and androstenedione ("andro"), skyrocketed as young athletes sought legal ways to bulk up. (Entries on creatine and ephedra are available in this encyclopedia.) Coaches and trainers contributed to the problem by urging young athletes to bulk up. However, they failed to monitor the safety of the methods used to attain that goal.
Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and Steroids
The twenty-first century has seen the level of anabolicandrogenic steroid abuse decrease. In September of 2003, investigators from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raided the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) in San Francisco, California, and discovered that the lab had been creating steroids that could go undetected in drug tests. The agents also uncovered the names of professional athletes in several sports who had received products from BALCO through personal trainers or other suppliers.
This raid followed two highly publicized suicide deaths of aspiring baseball players: Rob Garibaldi in California, who shot himself in the fall of 2002, and Taylor Hooten in Texas, who hanged himself in the summer of 2003. Both men had abused steroids thinking that the drugs would help them make it to the major leagues. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared THG illegal in 2003 and also, in early 2005, placed "andro" on the Schedule III list of controlled substances.
Steroid use made the headlines again in March of 2005, when several Major League Baseball players, executives, and the commissioner testified before Congress. One of those who testified, Jose Canseco (1964– ), wrote a book earlier that year called Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big. In it, he states that he used steroid swhile he was with the Oak land Athletics. Canseco named other players whom he alleged used steroids too, including Mark "Big Mac" McGwire (1963–). McGwire broke the single-season home run record in 1998 while with the St. Louis Cardinals. Making his own appearance before the Congressional Committee, McGwire refused to answer questions about his alleged past use of performance-enhancing products.
In the wake of the hearings, Major League Baseball's steroid policy was criticized by many as not being strict enough. Many fans, lawmakers, and sports commentators didn't believe that the fines were set high enough or the suspensions set long enough. Some even suggested that players be banned from the sport if they violated the policy more than once. The notion that "three strikes and you're out" was expressed by many who want steroids out of baseball.
Bad News for Palmeiro
In August of 2005, steroids in baseball again made the headlines when Baltimore Orioles star Rafael Palmeiro (1964– ) was suspended for 10 days for "violating baseball's anti-drug policy," according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of the Washington Post. Palmeiro was one of the players who had testified before Congress just a few months earlier and had strongly denied ever having used steroids. When news of his positive drug test broke, Palmeiro again denied taking steroids. As reported on ESPN.com, Palmeiro explained: "Today I am telling the truth again that I did not do this intentionally or knowingly." He added: "Why would I do this in a year when I went in front of Congress and I testified.… Why would I do this during a season where I was going to get to 3,000 hits? It just makes no sense."
Turning Tides?
Opinion has begun to turn against steroid users, an attitude that is reflected in the 2004 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey. The MTF report is an annual survey of drug use among young people in the United States. The MTF survey is conducted by the University of Michigan with funding from NIDA. The 2004 MTF study noted a general decrease in steroid use among eighth and tenth graders. According to the survey, these younger teens expressed more concern about the health issues surrounding steroids than their peers of the 1980s and 1990s.
Steroid use among seniors in high school, however, "remained stable at peak levels," according to the MTF. Researchers suggest that steroid use may be even higher among high school students than the survey shows, since some young athletes would never report their steroid use—even on an anonymous survey.
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