The Effects of Steroids in Sports

Identification

• These powerful substances are molecularly related to or derived from testosterone (including synthetic testosterone, which is also used as a steroid). In the human body, testosterone is responsible for proper male sexual development and sperm production and also increases skeletal muscle mass, improves bone density and promotes red blood cell production. Athletes take steroids, usually in quantities far greater than the body naturally produces, to intensify these effects.

  A number of high profile athletes in a variety of sports have tested positive for steroid use. These cases have often resulted in negative public perception of the sport in question.

Legality

• The United States Department of Justice has classified any anabolic steroid as a Schedule III drug, which makes them illegal to possess without a doctor's prescription. Under U.S. Federal law, any illegal sale, possession or distribution of steroids can be punished as a felony by up to five years' imprisonment (state laws vary).

  Moreover, the governing bodies of most major professional sports---including the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association and Ultimate Fighting Championships---and the International Olympic Committee and the NCAA have all banned their athletes from taking steroids. Any athlete who tests positive for steroid use can incur a suspension or banishment from their sport.

Strength Athletics

• Certain steroids, such as Winstrol (stanozolol) and Anadrol (oxymetholone) produce dramatic gains in strength, an effect also achieved by testosterone in nonnatural dosages. This additional strength gives athletes an advantage in sports that require tremendous explosiveness, such as sprinting, weightlifting, field events (shot put, javelin, discus), baseball and football. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Ben Johnson easily won the 100-meter dash; however, after testing positive for stanozolol he was stripped of his gold medal.

Endurance

• The steroid hormones Equipoise (boldenone), Winstrol and erythropoietin (EPO) stimulate the production of red blood cells, and more red blood cells allow the blood to transport more oxygen to the muscles. Additional red blood cells can also increase total blood volume, enabling the more effective removal of the waste byproducts of exercise (such as lactic acid) from muscle tissues during training. Both of these benefits improve muscular endurance, and have made these drugs popular choices for cyclists and runners. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Ukrainian heptathlete Liudmyla Blonska tested positive for Winstrol and had to forfeit her silver medal.

Recovery

• Intense resistance and endurance training results in the breakdown of muscle tissue, and muscle growth occurs when the body then heals these micro-tears by growing new muscle. Certain anabolic steroids (such as testosterone and nandrolone) facilitate more rapid muscle growth by promoting nitrogen retention and synthesis in the muscle cells. This enables the muscle to heal quickly after workouts and lets the athlete train with greater intensity over time.

  Also, the steroids nandrolone and Anadrol cause excess fluid retention, which the body stores inside the joints as synovial fluid. This additional lubrication protects the joints while also enabling athletes to train with heavier weights, leading to increases in strength that enhance performance.

Bodybuilding

• Anabolic steroids stimulate muscle growth, promote bone density, and cause an increase in appetite while also reducing body fat. For these reasons, bodybuilders use steroids during all phases of their training, taking bulking steroids (like testosterone and Anadrol) to pack on as much weight as possible, and then using steroids (such as Winstrol and Equipoise) to lean out during the "cutting phase" of their training, where they attempt to maintain lean muscle mass while losing fat.

Health Risks

• Steroid use can result in peliosis hepatitis, a sometimes fatal condition where blood-filled cysts form in the liver and spleen. The use of steroids that increase red blood cell counts can lead to stroke, clotting problems, hypertension and congestive heart failure. Certain steroids can cause changes in blood serum cholesterol levels, which can aggravate or cause heart and coronary disease. Additionally, steroids affect liver levels, and might enlarge the prostate, leading to difficult urination.

  Steroid use can also result in birth defects in unborn fetuses. Psychologically, they can lead to thoughts of suicide, depression, moodiness, irritability, aggression, insomnia and withdrawal symptoms. Users have also experienced premature balding, nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, jaundice, erectile dysfunction and gynecomastia (the development of breasts in men). Users sometimes develop unsightly body acne. Steroids can also cause the development of masculine characteristics such as a deepened voice and excess facial and body hair. Women taking steroids are more prone to experience these masculinizing effects, and may also suffer an enlarged clitoris, disrupted menstrual cycle and altered libido.