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Running head: ANABOLIC STEROIDS

Anabolic Steroids

Kayla Lee

November 14, 2016

Shalaka Rahangdale

1:30-4:20 Thursday

San Jose State University

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Anabolic steroids are considered a controversial drug, especially how they can give an

unfair advantage during an athletic competition. Anabolic steroids are commonly known to

enhance athletic performance due to how fast the muscles can recover once the steroids are

present in the body. Steroids can be detected in the human body through different types of drug

tests. Steroid abuse is common in multiple sports today, and there are several ongoing cases in

different sports. There have been several cases of steroid abuse during the Olympic games.

Finally, steroids have their own pros and cons, but I am personally against them, because there

are a lot of health risks that come with abusing them, and it is a form of cheating and gaining an

unfair advantage in athletic competition.

Anabolic Steroids

Anabolic steroids are a substance that helps rebuild damaged muscle tissue at a faster than

normal rate (Mayo Clinic, 2015). The main ingredient in anabolic steroids is testosterone, and

can be taken orally, parentally, intramuscular injections, topical gel, or by a patch (Kam &

Yarrow, 2005).

Benefits

Many people assume that anabolic steroids are used and abused to enhance athletic

performance, but there are medical conditions that can be aided by anabolic steroids. Some of

these benefits are that they can help patients gain weight after they lose a significant amount of

weight due to illness, treat different types of anemia, certain types of cancers, and other medical

conditions with a doctor’s referral (Mayo Clinic, 2015). A doctor’s prescription is needed to

obtain anabolic steroids legally, other than that most athletes obtain them illegally such as the

black market.

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Side Effects

A lot of professional and college athletes abuse anabolic steroids to enhance their own

athletic ability. Athletes take anabolic steroids in order to increase the size of their muscle mass,

and strength. Due to how fast the muscles can recover after the steroids are present in the body,

this allows the athletes to have an unfair advantage over other athletes who do not use steroids.

There are multiple side effects that are both physical and psychological. Some of the most

popular side effects include libido, changes in mood such as “roid rage”, testicular shrinkage,

and acne (Kam & Yarrow, 2005). Some of these side effects may be permanent and cannot be

reversed.

Testing

As anabolic steroid abuse became more popular, there are multiple ways to be tested for

them that will guarantee positive results. Most athletes are tested for steroid abuse regularly, and

at random times in order to ensure that athletes are not abusing them. The most common form of

testing for anabolic steroids is a urine test, because they are easy to obtain (Crosswell, 2013).

Other forms of testing for steroids include blood tests, and testing hair follicles. These tests

attempt to detect if there is the presence of synthetic substances that can be found in the body

that are known for replicating the performance and function of testosterone. Steroids are also

designed to have a longer life span than normal testosterone, which makes it easier to detect

them if they are taken recently (Crosswell, 2013). If the test comes back positive, there are

serious consequences for the athlete. Serious consequences include being banned from the

sporting league; awards and achievements could be taken away if the athlete had steroids in their

system during the time of success, having to pay fines, or going to jail for a certain period of

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time (Crosswell, 2013). Steroid abuse has been present during the Olympic games, and has been

taken very seriously over the years.

Anabolic Steroids in the Olympics

During the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, the Russian weight lifting and track and field

team were not in attendance. This was due to have being tested for illegal substances and

cheating. Investigators found a complex system of cheating in a lab located in Moscow, Russia,

who was responsible for testing athletes who competed in Russia, but certain lab workers

covered up positive blood, and urine tests (Gifford, 2016). The end result was sanctioning the

Russian weight lifting and track and field team from the 2016 Rio Olympic Summer games. In

the Olympics, anabolic steroids have been popular in almost every sport. They are popular

amongst weight lifters, cyclists, sprinters, rugby players, and target shooters (Gifford, 2016).

Anabolic steroids have been one of the most popular methods of doping in the Olympics. In

1988, Carl Lewis of Team USA tested positive for anabolic steroids during the 1988 US

Olympic team trials for track and field, but was later allowed to compete in the 1988 Seoul

Olympics after serving a twelve-week suspension that was overturned by the United States

Olympic Committee. (Mackay, 2003). During the 1988 summer Olympics in Seoul, South

Korea, Canada’s Ben Johnson won his one hundred meter race against Team USA’s Carl Lewis.

Later, Ben Johnson ended up testing positive for anabolic steroids, and the gold medal was then

awarded to Carl Lewis (Mackay, 2013). This scenario has been labeled as the “dirtiest race in

Olympic history”.

Against Steroids

Anabolic steroids have a controversial reputation in today’s society. There are various

benefits to them, but in today’s society there are too many cases of people abusing them, and

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gaining an unfair advantage in athletic competition. Athletes should be stripped of any success

that they might have achieved, if they have tested positive for anabolic steroids, because they

have gained an unfair advantage over athletes that do not take steroids. For example, successful

baseball players such as Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens have all tested

positive for anabolic steroids (Hadhazy, 2009). Although Alex Rodriguez confessed that he took

steroids, he has been awarded MVP for the 2003 season, and was considered a future candidate

for the Baseball Hall of Fame. While Alex Rodriguez was on steroids his homerun average

increased to about fifty-two homeruns per season, his runs-batted-in (RBI) total increased, and

his batting average increased during the steroid usage (Hadhazy, 2009). Rodriguez’s

consequence was serving a two hundred and eleven game suspension for testing positive. Also, a

long-term consequence for Rodriguez is the possibility of not being inducted into the hall of

fame, because some people view steroid abuse as a form of cheating, and he should not be

allowed into a prestigious group. An example of an athlete being stripped of an achievement

would be Ben Johnson who was stripped of the gold medal, because he tested positive for

steroids. I believe that this should happen in all sports, because it is unfair for another athlete to

have an advantage over another athlete who may not take anabolic steroids. There are also a lot

of risk factors that come with steroid use, and some may not be reversible.

Negative Side Effects

Steroids can also have negative, and long-term effects on the body that can be permanent.

Some of these unhealthy and long-term effects in men may include shrunken testicular size,

which can lead to infertility, breast development, enlarged prostate gland, and baldness (Mayo,

Clinic 2015). Side effects in women may include deepening of the voice, enlarged clitoris,

baldness, infrequent or absent periods, and increased body hair (Mayo Clinic, 2015). Men and

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women might both experience severe acne, liver abnormalities and tumors, high blood pressure

(hypertension), increased risk of HIV due to sharing needles, and increased aggressive behavior,

rage, or violence (Mayo Clinic, 2015). Steroids are not safe, so I am against athletes using them.

Not only can steroids be unsafe, they are also illegal in some countries such as the United States.

Steroids are Illegal

Steroids have been illegal in the United States, so this pushes users to resort to obtaining

steroids through the black market (Mayo Clinic, 2015). This increases the risk for people to

obtain a drug that is made outside of the United States, or they are smuggled in from other

countries (Mayo Clinic, 2015). This puts the user’s health at risk, because the drugs are not FDA

approved, could be mislabeled, and are not up to safety standards, which could harm the user

significantly, and can even cause death.

Conclusion

Anabolic steroids are used to increase muscle mass, and enhance the recovery period for

damaged muscle tissue. This can lead to athletes abusing them, and giving them an unfair

advantage in sports competitions. There are different types of tests that can detect if steroids are

present. Some of these tests include, blood and urine tests. Steroids have a common occurrence

in sports today, and there are several cases such as Alex Rodriguez testing positive for steroids

and serving a two hundred and eleven game suspension and jeopardizing his chances of being

inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Olympics have had their own share of anabolic

steroid abuse such as “the dirtiest race in Olympic history” which led to Ben Johnson being

stripped of the gold medal for Canada, and awarding the gold medal to Carl Lewis. Steroids do

have medical advantages, but since many athletes have abused these drugs over time, they do not

have a good reputation from my point of view. They are a form of cheating; they can cause

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serious health problems that may be permanent, increased risk of spreading diseases, and death

since they do not meet the government’s health and safety standards.

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References

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http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/anabolic-steroid-oral-route-parenteral-route/

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Crosswell, J., (2013). How Do They Test for Steroids? Retrieved November 28, 2016, from

http://www.livestrong.com/article/286807-how-do-they-test-for-steroids/

Fitness. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2016, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-

lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/performance-enhancing-drugs/art-20046134

Gifford, B. (2016). The Scientific American Guide to Cheating in the Olympics. Retrieved

November 28, 2016, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-scientific-american-

guide-to-cheating-in-the-olympics/

Hadhazy, A. (2009). Do anabolic steroids make you a better athlete? Retrieved November 28,

2016, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-rod-steroids-better-athlete/

Kam, P.C.A., Yarrow, M. (2005). Anabolic steroid abuse: physiological and anaesthetic

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Khullar, N., Scull, N. C., Deeny, M. C., Hamdan, E. (2016). Prevalence and Predictors of

Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use among Gym Users in Kuwait: A Preliminary Study. Journal of

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Mackay, D. (2003). The dirtiest race in history Olympic 100m final, 1988. Retrieved November

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