Many athletes and bodybuilders spend long hours at the gym lifting weights in an attempt to build large muscles. Some individuals supplement their efforts by using muscle-building products. Muscle-building products can promote muscle development and increased athletic performance. When misused, however, these products often cause serious side effects, and have been implicated in the deaths of several professional wrestlers, according to "Sports Illustrated/CNN."
Testosterone and Anabolic Steroids
Testosterone is a naturally-occurring male hormone. It is essential to the normal development of males during puberty. Physicians prescribe carefully monitored doses of testosterone and anabolic steroids to treat delayed male puberty and microphallus, or underdevelopment of the phallus, as well as some types of breast cancer in women, according to MayoClinic.com.
Athletes who abuse testosterone and anabolic steroids often ingest doses 10 to 50 times higher than any doctor would prescribe, according to Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. At such high doses, testosterone and anabolic steroids can cause prominent breasts and infertility in men along with a deeper voice and increased body hair in women. Both men and women may suffer severe acne, depression and "'roid rage," or nearly uncontrollable aggressiveness. "'Roid rage" was implicated in the murder-suicide case of professional wrestler Chris Benoit, who had 10 times the normal level of testosterone in his body when authorities performed an autopsy, according to a 2007 Associated Press report reprinted by MSNBC.
Commercial Muscle-Building Products
Unlike anabolic steroids, which athletes often obtain from unscrupulous physicians or on the black market, commercial muscle-building products are readily available. Manufacturers often market these substances as dietary supplements that substitute for steroids, according to Drugs.com. In July 2009, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to Americell-labs.com VMG Global Inc., manufacturer of muscle-building products marketed under the names "TREN-Xtreme," "MASS Xtreme," "ESTRO Xtreme," "AH-89-Xtreme," "HMG Xtreme," "MMA-3 Xtreme," "VNS-9 Xtreme," and 'TT-40-Xtreme," stating that these products were actually mislabeled drugs. These substances can produce masculine features in women and feminine features in men, Drugs.com warns. Other possible side effects include liver damange, kidney failure, stroke and pulmonary embolism, or blockage of an artery inside the lungs.
Creatine
Creatine is a protein building block, a naturally-occurring amino acid found in meat and fish, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. The body also produces creatine in the liver, pancreas and kidneys. Creatine is a popular supplement among athletes. Americans spend approximately $14 million per year on creatine supplements, the University of Maryland Medical Center states.
In low does, creatine is generally safe. Initial studies show that creatine may be useful in treating heart disease and muscular dystrophy. When misused, creatine can prevent the body from creating its own creatine, the University of Maryland Medical Center warns. High doses of creatine may also cause kidney damage.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Creatine
- MayoClinic.com: Taking Performance-Enhancing Drugs -- Are They a Threat to Your Health?
- MayoClinic.com: Androgen -- Oral Route, Parenteral Route, Subcutaneous Route, Topical Application Route, Transdermal Route
- Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Anabolic Steroids
- Drugs.com: Warning on Body-Building Products Marketed as Containing Steroids or Steroid-Like Substances
- Food and Drug Administration: Warning Letter -- Americell-labs.com VMG Global Inc 7/27/09
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