Prevalence of Steroid Use
Many young athletes are turning to steroids to increase lean muscle mass, strength and endurance. Studies have shown that steroid use is high among adolescents, starting around the eighth grade. An estimated 2.5 percent of children in the 8th grade, 3.5 percent in the 10th grade and 4 percent in the 12th grade have taken anabolic steroids at least once in their lives (2002 Monitoring the Future study - Volume I, Volume II). Because young athletes like the short-term physical results they see, occasional steroid use can quickly become chronic and dangerous abuse.
“The question as to how common testosterone use or anabolic steroid use is in the population at large is one that's been looked at,” says Dr. Richard Bebb, an endocrinologist active in the Men's Health Initiative of BC. “The studies are variable, but it is first of all very common, and it is an increasingly common phenomenon. In some studies the use in male high school students - generally they're related to sporting use - is going to be as high as 10 percent who've had at least one exposure, and women would be half of that, but still a significant exposure.”
Anabolic steroids are synthetic substances that are related to the male sex hormones (androgens). They were originally developed to treat a condition called hypogonadism, which occurs when the testes do not produce any or enough testosterone. Once it was realized that anabolic steroids promoted the growth of skeletal muscle, athletes and bodybuilders began to use them to improve sports performance. Athletes take anabolic steroids orally, inject them or rub gels or creams into the skin.
Anabolic steroid use leads to the development of male sexual characteristics (androgenic effects) in both men and women. Some of the effects of anabolic steroid use on men are:
- Acne
- Shrunken testicles
- Mood swings and aggression (often referred to as “roid rage”)
- Enlarged breasts (gynecomastia)
- Liver malfunction
- Enlarged prostate
- Jaundice and yellowing of the skin
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Balding
- Low sperm count
While the short-term effects of anabolic steroids may be reversible, if the drugs are used for a longer period of time, they can cause irreversible damage to the body.
