There is growing
concern by physicians and public health experts about widespread use of
steroids and steroid-like supplements among young people, with serious
health implications.
Part of the
concern stems from a recent disclosure by a former professional baseball
player that steroid use is rampant within the leagues, especially among
the top performers.
"Kids are going
to baseball games and they want to stop off at the supplement store on
the way home and get what their heroes are taking," Lewis Maharam, a sports
physician in private practice in New York City, told United Press International.
"That's very
unhealthy and it's bad for our youth," said Maharam, who is the president
of the New York chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. "It's
horrible because we see kids everyday that are taking it and we're worried
about health problems."
The known side
effects of steroids include stunted growth, coronary artery disease, the
development of breasts in men, shrinking of the testicles, hair loss, liver
tumors and acne. The drugs can also cause enlarged prostate, cancer, psychiatric
disorders and even death.
In a recent
interview with Sports Illustrated magazine, Ken Caminiti admitted taking
steroids during his career with the San Diego Padres. He said up to half
the league uses the illegal substances. Another former player, Jose Canseco,
said the problem was worse -- perhaps 85 percent of major league ballplayers
used the drugs.
A recent Blue
Cross Blue Shield survey found one million youths reported using steroids,
as well as performance-enhancing drugs such as ephedra, androstenedione,
and creatine, chief Blue Cross medical officer Allan Korn said in a statement.
More than half of the young people in the survey participated in sports
and their No. 1 reason for taking the drugs was to enhance their athletic
performance.
"It would be
a national shame to watch our heroes go from the Baseball Hall of Fame
to places like the Testicular Cancer Hall of Fame where a majority of the
'inductees' are athletes," Korn said.
There is still
concern about the use of steroids among kids, but the supplements are a
"bigger problem because they are easily accessible and it's like taking
an anabolic steroid" and can probably cause the same negative health effects,
Maharam said.
He noted Major
League Baseball conducted a study after former player and home run champion
Mark McGwire admitted taking androstenedione "and it showed that using
these products caused testosterone to increase," just as the steroids do.
Another performance-enhancing
supplement that can have steroid-like effects is nandrolene, Blue Cross
spokesperson Iris Shaffer told UPI. Androstenedione and nandrolene "have
the same health risks as steroids, and you don't have to go to Mexico to
get them, you can probably get them down the street or on the Internet,"
she added.
Betterbodz.com,
one of the Web sites offering androstenedione, claims the supplement "will
increase blood levels of testosterone.
Testosterone
is effective in eliciting greater gains in the gym through increasing energy,
enhancing nitrogen retention and speeding up recovery time. It may also
heighten sexual arousal and performance, as well as provide a greater sense
of well being."
Regarding possible
negative effects of androstenedione, the Web site states, "There are no
known negative side effects to Androstenedione, however, all athletes should
consider the effect rapid testosterone increases have on their personality.
Androstenedione
will not convert to estrogen ... so there are no negative estrogenic side
effects possible."
Other supplements
of concern are human growth hormone, which has potentially serious health
risks such as heart disease and disfigurement associated with excessive
growth of bones, and ephedrine, which has been associated with heart attacks
and death, Shaffer said.
William O.
Roberts, a family physician at MinnHealth in White Bear Lake, Minn., and
a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, told UPI he is concerned
when he finds adolescent patients who are taking performance-enhancing
supplements and tries to discourage them from using them.
One reason
for alarm is "because you're concerned about what else they are going to
take," Roberts said.
Another reason
is that they are supplements and "aren't well tested or well monitored
... so you don't know exactly what is in there."
He tells his
patients to "train hard, eat a good diet and sleep well and avoid the recreational
drugs."
Korn noted
Blue Cross two years ago asked the Major League Baseball's top 60 sluggers
to sign a drug-free pledge, only two players responded.
"This suggests
that these players and/or their agents are not willing to take a stand
against the use of drugs in sports," Shaffer told UPI. "It's too bad for
the youth of America and it's too bad for the game of baseball."
Maharam said
players' unwillingness to sign the drug-free pledge indicates they are
using steroids and other banned substances.
"Why don't we
have a dream team for baseball in the Olympics that consists of our best
major league baseball players? Because they test in the Olympics and they
would test positive," he said.
The players’
union has resisted testing for illegal substances, insisting the players
have a right to personal privacy, Maharam said. "I think it's beyond their
personal rights because it's affecting our kids," he added.
Blue Cross
is launching a campaign to promote awareness about the potential health
risks of steroids and other performance-enhancing substances, Shaffer said.
One of the places the campaign will focus on is major league ballparks
and on youth attending the games.
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Copyright 2002 by United
Press International.
All rights reserved.
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