Some athletes take performance-enhancing drugs to gain a competitive edge and recover faster from injury. These substances include anabolic steroids, growth hormones and erythropoietin. Illegal use of these medications is called "doping," and various sports agencies have started banning this illicit use of performance-enhancing drugs because they cause immediate, as well as long-term, damage to the body.
Genetic Mutations
Performance-enhancing drugs can have a negative impact on the body's cells and genes. A 2008 study published in the "International Journal of Pharmacology" tested the effects of oxandrolone on human white blood cells maintained in culture. Oxandrolone, sold under the trade name Anavar, is popular "cutting" steroid often used to decrease body fat prior to a bodybuilding competition. Results indicated that oxandrolone was toxic to both cells and genes. It caused chromosomal damage to the white blood cells, resulting in cell death and cancer-causing mutations.
Physical Changes
The use of performance-enhancing drugs also changes anatomy and physiology. A 2001 experiment presented in the "Journal of the American College of Cardiology" evaluated cardiac function in bodybuilders taking anabolic steroids. The drugs decreased the "good" type of cholesterol and enlarged the left ventricle of the heart. Other studies have shown that steroid use increases blood pressure as well, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These negative changes in the cardiovascular system may contribute to reported cases of steroid-associated stroke.
Psychological Damage
Anabolic steroids and other doping agents alter emotions and affect behaviors. For example, a 2009 survey in "The Physician and Sports Medicine" journal looked at the psychological profiles of bodybuilders using anabolic steroids. The data showed that, relative to past users and non-users, current users had a greater preoccupation with their weight and shape, and greater body dissatisfaction. Such users also showed a greater tendency towards depression, perfectionism and distrust. These profiles were associated with eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. They also may explain the alleged correlation between steroids and suicide, notes SteroidLaw.com.
Social Impact
Doping has a large impact on the society as well as the user. Steroid "scandals" often appear in the news, and high-profile athletes such as Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds have allegedly used doping agents. Large financial rewards and little safety data probably contributed to these surprising cases, which likely represent a large number of undocumented users, according to a September 2009 article in the journal "Drug Testing and Analysis."
A 2005 survey by the Centers for Disease Control shows that 4 percent of high school students have taken steroids without a doctor's prescription. These alarming numbers should cause concern because developing bodies are at particular risk for steroid-induced damage, according to a June 2010 article in the journal "Pediatric Clinics of North America."
References
- "International Journal of Pharmacology": Antigenotoxic Effect of Genistein and Gingerol on Genotoxicity Induced by Norethandrolone and Oxandrolone in Cultured Human Lymphocytes
- "Journal of the American College of Cardiology"; Androgenic Anabolic Steroids and Arterial Structure and Function in Male Bodybuilders; M.A. Sader, et al.; January 2001
- "The Physician and Sports Medicine"; Body Image, Disordered Eating, and Anabolic Steroids in Male Bodybuilders: Current Versus Former Users; G.S. Goldfield, et al.; April 2009
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance --- United States, 2005
- "Pediatric Clinics of North America"; Gene Doping; T.A. McKanna, et al.; June 2010
