Research Paper Teen Steroid Use

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Health Science

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May 8, 2024

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Teen Steroid Use Issue Overview On March 17, 2005, several of baseball’s greatest players of the 1980s and 90s testified before the House Government Reform Committee. The committee’s members were concerned about the accepted use of steroids by major league baseball players and the bad example they set as role models for aspiring youth. They were also skeptical of MLB’s drug testing program and threatened to legislate tougher testing policies if the league didn’t come up with a policy of its own. In the years that followed, many players admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs, including anabolic steroids. In 2006, MLB launched an investigation, chaired by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, into past steroid use by the league’s players. The Mitchell Report, which detailed the use of steroids among major league baseball players also noted that while steroid use among high school students seemed to be declining at that time, it was estimated that 3–6% of teens, both male and female, have tried anabolic steroids. Besides the potential physical damage steroids can cause, its use among competing athletes creates an unfair advantage that reduces the importance of the player’s accomplishments and calls into question the integrity of the sport. Once thought to be a problem only with professional athletes and body builders, steroid abuse is prevalent in all levels of sports. In a 2010 National Institute on Drug Abuse study, teenagers were asked if they ever tried steroids—even once. The study found that a little over 1% of 8th graders, 1.6% of 10th graders, and 2% of 12th graders ever tried steroids. However, it is estimated that by the time they’re high school seniors, 5–12% of male students and 1% of female students have used anabolic steroids. This amounts to more than half a million high school students. What are Anabolic Steroids? Anabolic-androgenic steroids are artificially produced hormones that are similar to testosterone. Anabolic refers to the steroid’s ability to build up muscle. Androgenic refers to steroid’s role in promoting the development of male sexual characteristics. These drugs go by product names such as oxandrin, dianabol, winstrol, deca-durabolin, and equipoise. They are also known by common street names such as “andro,” “roids,” and “juice.” The body produces steroids naturally to promote growth in tissue and maturation. Although testosterone is a mature male hormone, girls’ bodies also produce it in smaller amounts. Testosterone promotes masculine traits developed during puberty such as a deepening of the voice, body hair and larger muscle mass. Increased testosterone levels can also promote aggressive behavior. Chemically produced testosterone has legitimate medical uses and is prescribed to help people with certain types of anemia and men who don’t produce enough testosterone on their own. Another type of steroid, called a steroidal supplement, contains the chemical dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and/or androstenedione (also known as “andro”). DHEA is related to testosterone and was
widely advertised as a wonder drug with claims that it improved muscle strength and prevented heart disease. For many years, DHEA and other types of supplemental steroids were found in health food stores but now can only be obtained though a doctor’s prescription. Steroidal supplements are generally weaker than anabolic steroids, with similar short term effects. Their side effects aren’t as well known. As a result, users often take more than would generally be prescribed, causing unknown effects on the body. Background and History Anabolic steroids were developed in the 1930s by Dutch, German, and Swiss scientists working for pharmaceutical companies. Clinical trials on humans began in 1937 and steroids were referred to in weight training literature soon after. It was rumored that Nazi soldiers took anabolic steroids to increase their stamina and aggression, but these rumors have never been proven. Controversy surrounding steroid use arose during the 1950s Olympic Games, when Soviet and Eastern European athletes were found to have taken testosterone injections. Since then, testing of athletes in nearly all sports has became mandatory, as legitimate and illegitimate pharmaceutical companies synthesize more and more strains of anabolic steroids designed to be within the rules or not illegal. By 1990, Congress passed the Anabolic Steroid Control Act, classifying steroids as controlled substances. This makes simple possession of such substances without a prescription a federal crime, punishable by up to one year in prison. Unlawful distribution or intent to distribute anabolic steroids is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. How do anabolic steroids work? Anabolic steroids are taken into the body in a variety of ways: topical creams, pill form, injections into the blood stream, or injections directly into the muscle. Once steroids have entered the bloodstream, they attach themselves to cells called receptor sites, which activate to produce protein. This, in turn, stimulates the muscle tissue to grow—what weight lifters call “bulking up,” normally done through weight lifting. Steroids also block the effects of stress on the muscle tissue so that muscle breakdown is reduced. Anabolic steroids can remain in the body anywhere from a few days to upwards of a year. Tests show that steroids improve strength, endurance, and muscle mass, but research hasn’t shown that they improve skill, agility or athletic performance. What are the effects of anabolic steroids? Like most drugs, even illegal ones, anabolic steroids have legitimate uses. They can aid people who are hormone deficient. On the positive side, anabolic steroids can increase protein synthesis, stimulate bone marrow production, and increase red blood cells. They also stimulate the formation of muscle cells and thus increase muscle strength. On the negative side, because steroids are artificially produced, as the name implies, they are not natural to the body. Their introduction into a young, healthy person tips the balance of natural hormone production and can have unwanted, serious consequences.
For guys—shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, development of breasts, increased risk for prostate cancer, and premature baldness For girls—growth of facial hair, pattern baldness, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, and a permanently deepened voice Steroid abuse can also result in behavioral effects such as mood swings, including manic symptoms. Depression, paranoia, jealousy, delusions, and impaired judgment can also result. Injection though an unclean hypodermic needle can result in the transference of life-threatening viral infections like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. In rare cases, steroid abuse can cause death. When steroids enter the body, they go through the blood stream to organs where their effects are not beneficial. Steroid use can create a situation that makes the heart susceptible to attack and stroke. Steroids can lead to a condition called atherosclerosis, causing fatty deposits inside the arteries that restrict or block blood flow. Why do teens use anabolic steroids? For most teens, male and female, using steroids is about attaining peak performance in athletics and improving on physical appearance. Pressure from parents, peers, and the performance culture pushes teens to use steroids in order to succeed. Many teens are impatient and eager for fast results. They do not always consider the long-term consequences and possible health risks of their actions. How are anabolic steroids getting into the hands of teenagers? Most countries do not regulate anabolic steroids. Many chemical manufacturing companies in Mexico, Latin America, and Eastern Europe have sprung up to readily supply the U.S. fitness and dietary supplement products market. Steroids come in many forms and are very hard to regulate. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not been given the authority to regulate dietary supplements, and very little is known about many consumer dietary and fitness products. Many products that can be purchased at a gym or fitness store may contain illegal steroids. Illegal drug rings also distribute large amounts of anabolic steroids. Although the DEA prosecuted over 50 cases of steroid distribution in recent years, the challenge of keeping them out of the fitness market is overwhelming. What is the legal status of drug testing in schools? In 2002 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the legality of drug testing in middle and high schools in the case of Board of Education v. Earl . The Tecumseh, Oklahoma School District created a regulation that allowed schools to test all students who participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports, clubs, and theater, for drugs. The defendant claimed that the regulation was an unconstitutional violation of the Fourth Amendment, which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures. The Supreme Court ruled that the school district was justified in creating that regulation because drug testing serves the greater community interest by detecting juvenile drug use. The regulation did not violate the Fourth Amendment. In general, the Supreme Court has allowed searches of students, their lockers, backpacks, and cars—more than would be permissible for adult citizens.
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