Physiological Effects of using PED’s (Performance Enhancing Drug’s) on Your Health
By Andrew Richardson
In a previous post I discussed
the psychological effects of using PED’s, now with this one I am reviewing the
literature on the physiological effects. I will be using the following journals
to discuss the research gathered. It should be made clear that research on
PED’s is quite limited as one cannot ethically approve an administration of any
Performance Enhancing Drug to their subjects. I will be referencing material
from academics in this area.
These are the journals that
will be looked at in detail;
-
Dying to be big: a
Review of Anabolic Steroid Use by H. M. Perry MB, D. Wright MFPHM and B. N.
C. Littlepage. Br J Sp Med 1992; 26(4). Department of Public Health Medicine,
Swansea, UK
-
Endocrine aspects of
anabolic steroids.
F.C.W. Wu Clinical
Chemistry 43:7 1289–1292 (1997). Doping in Sports Symposium
I will be
using other academic resources throughout. I originally had 5 Journals in mind
but when writing them all in in hindsight it was quite heavy reading, so
reduced back to two.
Same “disclaimer” used in
previous article before anyone jumps down my throat hahah
This article is my own views
and my own opinion. I am not here to ruffle feathers or cause a massive
argument. What I am here to do as an aspiring academic studying a science-based degree
(Applied Sports Science), is to create a discussion on particular topics. I
don't encourage the use of PED's but I have many friends who do use them and I
don't treat them any differently. It's their life, let them live it how they
choose. They know the risks as it is a drug and all drugs have their safe
limits (recommended dosage). We only hear of the dangerous effects of steroids
and PED's as people exceed these safe dosages in the pursuit to be World and
Olympic Champions.
Steroids
Are not All Bad (from a medical/scientific view)
There are a range of steroids
and they are not all like anabolic steroids. Big difference between the two. “Steroids”
are not describing performance enhancing drugs they are synthetic versions of
hormones.
Millions of people have been
saved by these drugs so to try and cover all these drugs with the same negative banner
is foolish. Some people with AIDS have been saved by them (see Bigger Stronger
Faster Documentary). All drugs have a side effect which needs to be made clear.
According to the CDC, Tobacco
kills 450,000 American’s per year, Alcohol 75,000 and steroids 3. So steroids
isn’t a national health crisis in America, It’s a moral crisis. As in, is it
cheating if everyone else takes them? If you get caught you are labelled as a
cheat, crook, fake etc but the ones who win used the same stuff as you.
As Louie Simmons's said “who am
I to judge you, and who are you to judge me. Your body is your body, do what
you want”.
Moving onto the journals
Dying
to be Big
Aim of this study was to see
how much use of anabolic steroids goes on in the recreational scene, ie;
non-sporting athletes, regular gym goers. The study was done in 1998 so the
results are not up to date but we can agree the use of PED’s has increased over
the years.
This study was designed to
help establish the prevalence of anabolic steroid drug misuse among people
using gymnasia on a regular basis (three or more times a week) in West
Glamorgan. The method of collecting the data was through questionnaires (16
questions on them), obviously the main limitation of this you have to take
peoples word for it and the questions are set so subjects can’t give more
detail if they want to.
160 took part in the study, 62
admitted to taking steroids their reasons included; Bodybuilding (44),
Powerlifting (7), Weightlifting (4), Fitness (7) and Other (-).
Of the 62 their ages ranged,
20-24 (20), 25-29 (21), 30-34 (19), 35-39 (2).
For me what stands out is the
majority are in their twenties, could it be after many years in the gym they
have gotten fed up with results, or due to sporting careers they needed to take
the extra step and more simply curiosity? Who knows?
From the discussion they
talked about the dangers of some of the subjects whom reported sharing needles.
As we should all be aware sharing needles with another is asking for HIV and
other blood related diseases. They also referenced two studies to say that they
were happy no Under 20 was taking anabolic steroids. These are Wilson &
Griffin 1980 and Dorfman & Shipley 1956. Now I have personally heard
conflicting reports on this one from the documentary Bigger Stronger Faster
during the “Steroid 101 scene”.
Study concluded with steroid
use is on the rise in recreational gyms and should be monitored.
(If anyone has any research on
this please contact me or have copies of those two papers mentioned above I
would be very thankful. Always learning haha).
Endocrine
Aspects of Anabolic Steroids
The study compares and
contrasts the principles and practice behind the abuse of androgenic-anabolic
steroids (AAS) with the legitimate clinical therapeutic use of androgens, in
order to discuss how the use of AAS by athletes fits into our current
understanding of androgen physiology and the clinical practice of
endocrinology.
The rationale of using
Anabolic Steroids in sports is based on the following considerations;
(a) The
clear differential in athletic performance between males and females, on
average, the lean body mass being 30% higher in men than in women.
(b) Obvious
anabolic effects resulting from the physiological increase in testosterone
during pubertal development
(c) Production
of undoubted anabolic and ergogenic effects by physiological doses of
testosterone in hypo-gonadal patients
(d) The
assumption that use of supraphysiological does of testosterone or more potent
synthetic androgenic analogs would increase muscle bulk and improve performance
in eugonadal adult men
(e) The
assumption that anabolic effects can be separated from virilising effects by
use of “pure anabolic” agents.
The relationship between
dose-response is going to be different per person due to individual
characteristics. More is not always better, especially in this case as its very
easy to jump from a physiological dose (such as one single treatment of male
hormone replacement therapy) to an abusive amount of AAS, which will serious
long term effects.
Adverse Effects of AAS Abuse:
Androgenic
-
Virilisation, Women, some irreversible
-
Acne
-
Hirsutism
-
Alopecia
-
Premature Epiphyseal Closure aka stunted growth
(little studies to back this up)
-
Gynecomastia
-
Decreased testicular volume (atrophy)
-
Infertility (reversible)
-
Increased sexual interest
-
Decreased HDL Cholesterol
-
Increased Prostatic Disease Risk
Adverse Effects of AAS Abuse:
Toxic
Cardiovascular
-
Cardiomyopathy
-
Acute Myocardial Infarct
-
Cerebral Vascular accident
-
Pulmonary embolism
Liver:
-
Cholestatic jaundice
-
Peliosis Hepatis
-
Tumours
Rest of study looked at flaws
in previous papers and psychological effects of using Steroids (which I covered
in the previous blog post).
Other
Noteable Mentions from Academics;
As Dr Charles Yesalis states
in the Bigger Stronger Faster documentary “there is no safe drug, there is only
a benefit to risk ratio”. Dr Yesalis is very well clued up on the use and
effects of anabolic steroids. He has published over 70 articles/journals on the
steroids. Dr Yesalis and his colleges don’t agree with the case of Lyle Alzado
for blaming his use of steroids on his inoperable brain cancer (too many
factors and variables which could of and maybe cause the cancer). Lyle was one
of the best players in the NFL during his prime but he blames his cancer solely
on the use of anabolic steroids.
Have a read at his Q&A on
T-Nation and his appearance on Bigger Stronger Faster which also looks at the
Lyle Case. .
The problem comes back to the
media which spins stories with no evidence to back it up just hype and
speculation. I will only believe a statement once it has been backed up and
tested then published, until then it’s just opinion and personal experience. I
don’t respect people such as Dr Gary Wadler whom speaks for W.A.D.A (World Anti-Doping
Agency) as he makes all these negative claims about steroids. Then when pressed
he cant produce a single paper and he refuses to do any studies to back his
claim. This is the same guy that is on TV telling people what they should and shouldn’t
do. Dr Norm Frost has tried to confront Dr Walder on this before to have him
produce any scientific article and he simply can’t do it. Dr Frost will agree
that there can be some serious side effects of using anabolic steroids but due
to laws and sanctions these assumptions can’t be validated until ethical
approval has been granted to carry out these studies.
Dr Carlon Colker made simple
point “if you take steroids you become a bigger version of yourself, so if
you’re a jerk you become a super jerk”.
One of the things that stuck
me in the documentary was this; Rick Collins Esq (Author of Legal Muscle) and
Chris Bell where discussing if it was morally wrong to take steroids. Rick
replied with “we live in a society where it is ethically and morally accepted
to take alcohol and cigarettes, with all the health problems made aware and
people still buy and consume them. Then we have such a minority that try and
make their playing career longer, to make some more money and everyone loses
their minds over it as it’s morally wrong to take something that in a prescribed
dose is medically safe”.
Summary
There is an obvious risk to
taking any drug but it comes down to an individual’s choice and they should be
prepared to live with the consequences (these can be physical and psychological). Some people may not
get any side affects others, may get a range of side effects. There is plenty
of research and textbooks on the negative effects of using PED’s (which some
have been mentioned above). The difficult point is trying to make up one's own opinion with the nonsense from the media and non-reputable sources such as Dr
Walder. I for one do not see the need to take PED's. I can get strong without them and I don't want to take them as to me (in my eyes) its cheating, but that's my opinion.
I hope you enjoyed reading
this short post
Regards
Andrew Richardson
Andrew Richardson, Founder of Strength is Never a Weakness Blog
I have a BSc (Hons) in Applied Sport Science and a Merit in my MSc in Sport and Exercise Science and I passed my PGCE at Teesside University.
Now I will be commencing my PhD into "Investigating Sedentary Lifestyles of the Tees Valley" this October 2019.
I am employed by Teesside University Sport and WellBeing Department as a PT/Fitness Instructor.
My long term goal is to become a Sport Science and/or Sport and Exercise Lecturer. I am also keen to contribute to academia via continued research in a quest for new knowledge.
My most recent publications:
My passion is for Sport Science which has led to additional interests incorporating Sports Psychology, Body Dysmorphia, AAS, Doping and Strength and Conditioning.
Within these respective fields, I have a passion for Strength Training, Fitness Testing, Periodisation and Tapering.
I write for numerous websites across the UK and Ireland including my own blog Strength is Never a Weakness.
I had my own business for providing training plans for teams and athletes.
I was one of the Irish National Coaches for Powerlifting, and have attained two 3rd places at the first World University Championships,
in Belarus in July 2016.Feel free to email me or call me as I am always looking for the next challenge.
Contact details below;
Facebook: Andrew Richardson (search for)
Facebook Page: @StrengthisNeveraWeakness
Twitter: @arichie17
Instagram: @arichiepowerlifting
Snapchat: @andypowerlifter
Email: a.s.richardson@tees.ac.uk
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-richardson-b0039278
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Richardson7
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