In 1988, after Carl Lewis was awarded the gold medal in the 100M dash when Ben Johnson tested positive for steroids, (I believe it was) Lewis stated that he was not really that surprised because he just didn't think that it was humanly possible to run the 100m in 9.79 (Johnson's winning time).
In the past 3 years, 2 american’s have euqaled or surpassed that time.
In today’s Houston Chronicle there is a tiny article (which is a true disappointment considering the magnitude of the accusations) that reads as follows:
According to Terry Madden, the chief executive of the US anti-doping agency: "What we have unconverted appears to be intentional doping of the worst sort (...) this is a conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes using what they developed to be undetectable designer steroids to defraud their fellow competitors and the American and world public"
The drug in question is known as THG and though no athletes were named, it appears that several prominent athletes are a party to this.
I also know for a FACT, that some elite swimmers know of the drug, and believe it is undetectable.
*** This is in no way intimating that any specific athlete has or is using the substance.
Former Member
I kind of disagree, while in master taking steriods, or sleeping around with dozens of people, or taking recreational drugs or boozing it too much, or smoking are health hazards, steriods at the elite level of swimming is another matter. The East Germans and the Chinese were a government run program, that's a lot worst than some swimmers taking it on their own. The worst thing is for a private team or a swim federation to get their swimmers to take steriods and risk their health.
Here are a few studies regarding the dangers of steroid use:
Bahrke, M.S., Yesalis, C.E., and Wright, J.E. Psychological and behavioral effects of endogenous testosterone and anabolic-androgenic steroids: an update. Sports Medicine 22(6): 367-390, 1996.
Blue, J.G., and Lombardo, J.A. Steroids and steroid-like compounds. Clinics in Sports Medicine 18(3): 667-689, 1999.
Bronson, F.H., and Matherne, C.M. Exposure to anabolic-androgenic steroids shortens life span of male mice. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 29(5): 615-619, 1997.
Brower, K.J. Withdrawal from anabolic steroids. Current Therapy in Endocrinology and Metabolism 6: 338-343, 1997.
Elliot, D., and Goldberg, L. Intervention and prevention of steroid use in adolescents. The American Journal of Sports Medicine 24(6): S46-S47, 1996.
Goldberg, L., et al. Anabolic steroid education and adolescents: Do scare tactics work? Pediatrics 87(3): 283-286, 1991.
Goldberg, L., et al. Effects of a multidimensional anabolic steroid prevention intervention: The Adolescents Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids (ATLAS) Program. Journal of the American Medical Association 276(19): 1555-1562, 1996.
Goldberg, L., et al. The ATLAS program: Preventing drug use and promoting health behaviors. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 154: 332-338, 2000.
Gruber, A.J., and Pope, H.G., Jr. Compulsive weight lifting and anabolic drug abuse among women rape victims. Comprehensive Psychiatry 40(4): 273-277, 1999.
Gruber, A.J., and Pope, H.G., Jr. Psychiatric and medical effects of anabolic-androgenic steroid use in women. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 69: 19-26, 2000.
Hoberman, J.M., and Yesalis, C.E. The history of synthetic testosterone. Scientific American 272(2): 76-81, 1995.
Leder, B.Z., et al. Oral androstenedione administration and serum testosterone concentrations in young men. Journal of the American Medical Association 283(6): 779-782, 2000.
The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics. Creatine and androstenedione-two "dietary supplements." 40(1039): 105-106, 1998.
Middleman, A.B, et al. High-risk behaviors among high school students in Massachusetts who use anabolic steroids. Pediatrics 96(2): 268-272, 1995.
Pope, H.G., Jr., Kouri, E.M., and Hudson, M.D. Effects of supraphysiologic doses of testosterone on mood and aggression in normal men. Archives of General Psychiatry 57(2): 133-140, 2000.
Porcerelli, J.H., and Sandler, B.A. Anabolic-androgenic steroid abuse and psychopathology. Psychiatric Clinics of North America 21(4): 829-833, 1998.
Porcerelli, J.H., and Sandler, B.A. Narcissism and empathy in steroid users. American Journal of Psychiatry 152(11): 1672-1674, 1995.
Rich, J.D., Dickinson, B.P., Flanigan, T.P., and Valone, S.E. Abscess related to anabolic-androgenic steroid injection. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 31(2): 207-209, 1999.
Su, T.-P., et al. Neuropsychiatric effects of anabolic steroids in male normal volunteers. Journal of the American Medical Association 269(21): 2760-2764, 1993.
Sullivan, M.L., Martinez, C.M., Gennis, P., and Gallagher, E.J. The cardiac toxicity of anabolic steroids. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases 41(1): 1-15, 1998.
Yesalis, C.E. Anabolic Steroids in Sports and Exercise, 2nd edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.In press.
Yesalis, C.E. Androstenedione. Sport Dietary Supplements Update, 2000, E-SportMed.com.
Yesalis, C.E. Trends in anabolic-androgenic steroid use among adolescents. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 151: 1197-1206, 1997.
Yesalis, C.E., Kennedy, N.J., Kopstein, A.N., and Bahrke, M.S. Anabolic-androgenic steroid use in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association 270(10): 1217-1221, 1993.
Zorpette, G. Andro angst. Scientific American 279(6): 22-26, 1998.
The consequences of steroid, EPO abuse and the like are fairly well known. What is not exactly known in most cases is the amount/duration at which negative things occur, especially since many of these affect individuals differently.
Some interesting fact, however:
1) I am quoting from fuzzy memory here, but I'm sure that some digging on google might produce the source... Some years back a Ukrainian group did a statistical analysis of the age of death of Soviet Olympic athletes from the 1950's (when the Soviets first competed in the Olympics) to whatever was current at the time of the study. Since there is fairly strong circumstancial evidence that the Soviets did have an extensive Olympic drug plan in effect, the inference was to see what effect the (ab)use of steroids, etc had on mortality. They found that there was less than one chance in 400 that the number and demographic distribution of deaths might have occured naturally.
2) The numerous horror stories coming out of the former East Germany about athletes who were put on a drug program, who now are crippled, infertile, have other severe health problems or have died. The Stasi (East German secret police) files make direct links possible.
3) 17 (I think that is the number) Dutch and Belgian cyclists died in the mid-late 1990's period and their deaths were officially attributed to EPO usage.
Sure, feel free to abuse the crap if you want. Same thing if you want to play Russian roulette: Go ahead - I'm all for allowing Darwinism to improve the gene pool and just because stupidity is not illegal means that some people will abuse the privledge.
-LBJ
Wow, I have been called a lot of things in my day, but big brother is a first. I am not playing big brother and have no interest in that. Some of these studies I have read in articles on steroid use. I simply listed a few from the internet. The CDC has studies on the ill health effects on steroid us along with many University studies. As with anything is life, we can pick and chose what we wish to believe and we can discard what we chose to not believe.
I believe the ill effects are obvious and that is my choice. Having said that, I stand on my belief that using illegal drug to enhance performance in sports is plain and simple cheating, not to mention short sighted where a persons health is concerned.
Lastly, I have always been of the mind that people have choices and if athletes chose to use drugs that are proven to cause harmful health problems, that is their choice and their decision. I am not their father or their “big brother” and could care less if they cause harm to their bodies. What I do care about is robbing a hard working athlete of their rightful place on the winners block because of the use of these drugs. Call it whatever you like, cheating is always going to be just that, cheating.
For Information Only:
October 23, 2003
STEROIDS THREATEN HEALTH OF ATHLETES AND INTEGRITY OF SPORTS PERFORMANCE
American College of Sports Medicine Calls for Increased Vigilance in Identifying and Eradicating Steroid Use
INDIANAPOLIS – The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) today condemned the development and use of new “designer” steroids. ACSM considers chemicals, such as the recently identified Tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG, developed and cloaked to avoid detection by doping tests, as serious threats to the health and safety of athletes, as well as detriments to the principle of fair play in sports. Any effort to veil or disguise steroid use in sports through stealth, designer, or precursor means, puts elite, amateur and even recreational athletes at risk.
The health risks associated with steroid use are severe. Anabolic steroid use has been implicated in early heart disease, including sudden death, the increase of bad cholesterol profiles (increased LDL, lower HDL), an increase in tendon injuries, liver tumors, testicular atrophy, gynecomastia (abnormal enlargement of breasts in males), male pattern baldness, severe acne, premature closure of growth plates in adolescents, emotional disturbances and other significant health risks. The health risks of designer steroids compared to or beyond symptoms of anabolic steroid use are currently unknown.
“No one knows the extent of this yet,” said Gary I. Wadler, M.D., FACSM. “If there is one great concern that THG has exposed, it’s the potential that other non-detectable anabolic steroids may be in the pipeline. The scientific and public health implications of this issue are quite disconcerting.” Wadler, an ACSM sports medicine physician who serves on the Health, Medical and Research Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and is a leading international authority on doping in sports, says the appearance of these new drugs and their use models dangerous behavior, potentially causing physical and psychological damage to young athletes.
ACSM calls for national compliance with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) regulations and to the World Anti-doping Code. Further, the College stresses the need for “clean” athletes, those not taking performance-enhancing drugs or supplements, to publicly deplore the use of steroids among their teammates and peers. ACSM underscores the critical leadership role clean athletes can take in disavowing performance-enhancing drug use and advocating fair play to protect the integrity of sports competition. Other individuals who influence young athletes, such as parents and coaches, should establish a no-tolerance policy for performance-enhancing substances, and intervene whenever necessary.
In the past 20 years, sports governing bodies have made substantial efforts to eradicate steroid use. Drug testing implemented by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, for example, has been instrumental in decreasing the use of steroids among college athletes. Last year, ACSM called for mandatory testing for steroid use in Major League Baseball. (ACSM’s Position Stand, “The Use of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids in Sports,” ACSM condemns the use of these drugs among athletes. To read a copy of this Position Stand, please visit http://www.acsm-msse.org). Yet, information gathered very recently, over just the past few years, indicates an upward trend in steroid use among amateur athletes at the college and even high school levels.
The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 20,000 International, National, and Regional members are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine.
American College of Sports Medicine
P.O. Box 1440
Indianapolis, IN 46206-1440
The potential adverse effects of anabolic steroids are well documented in the medical literature--I don't see the point in debating this issue.
I also fail to see how Advil can be compared to an anabolic steroid--the former is FDA-approved for over the counter use, while the latter is a Schedule III controlled substance. The "proper" use of anabolic steroids is in the treatment of specific medical conditions (e.g. hypogonadism in men, inoperable metatatic *** cancer in women) under the supervision of a qualified physician. No argument will dissuade a determined individual from trying to circumvent the existing regulations and obtain these drugs, hence the need for drug testing.
Yes, anything in excess (even water) can be harmful or fatal. The more pertinent question is what exactly defines "performance-enhancing." Has anyone actually read the relevant document at http://www.usantidoping.org?
The potential adverse effects of anabolic steroids are well documented in the medical literature--I don't see the point in debating this issue.
Which is exactly why you won't see me debating the issue; why do you keep changing the subject and bringing it up? Your insistence that I or others think it is safe, when we don't, is the reason your post was so irritating.
But not as irritating as Tom's . . .
Craig, I reviewed the site and could not find a definition of 'performance enhancing.' Perhaps you could find it for me.
Otherwise, I'll define it the naive way - something that enhances the takers ability to perform, as evaluated by the sport in question. In swimming, it enhances the ability to swim faster. On those weekends that Pacific has a championship, I will often swim 11 events in two days. During the second day I am sore and stiff - I have no doubt that taking some Advil the night before and the morning of would have made me feel better, sleep better, and probably swim faster. Thus, in enhances my performance. Last time I wanted to get 600 mg pills of Ibuprofin, I needed a prescription, but I do agree it is in a different legal status.
One could, I suppose, define performance enhancing as anything on the proscribed list, which by implication is the attitude taken by the web site you pointed out to us. Such a legalistic argument ignores the ethical basis of the rule, and is what lets athletes in the current situation feel morally justified saying things like "I did not knowingly take an illegal substance" when what they took was an unknown type of steroid. We should be paying attention to the spirit of the law, not the letter.
By the way, I did find some text at that site which made it clear that 'performance enhancing' was enough to make a substance proscribed. Hazardous was not necessary. If that is true, we need to make a better distinction between the performance enhancing character of steroids, Advil, caffeine, vitamins, shoulder surgery, sleeping in altitude tents, and interval training.
Glucosamine is not by definition a performance enhancing drug. To argue that it (or drugs like Advil) are "performance enhancing" is just a rationalization to justify the use of anabolic steroids. As for the question of whether anabolic steroids really are harmful--well, some things are true whether you believe them or not.
