What else can athletes do to hide their dependency on steroids?

A syringe used to inject a banned substance became one of the most controversial drug issues in sports according to the report by Sara Brunetti of CBC.ca. According to the report, a high-ranking coach in track and field informed the United States Anti-Doping Agency about the newly released “undetectable steroid.” The concerned coach backed his claim by presenting used syringe that was identified to contain traces of the substance.

The accredited International Olympic Committee anti-doping lab of Enter and Professor Don Catlin at the University of California in Los Angeles studied the substance for almost two months. After testing, they concluded that the substance was a ‘designer drug,” a kind of modified steroid that cannot be detected by normal laboratory testing.

The samples gathered at the Championships of USA outdoor Track and Field in Stanford resulted into a shocking result. Six athletes were identified positive for the drug, which is identified as tetrahydrogestrinone or THG.

“What we have uncovered appears to be intentional doping of the worst sort,” uttered by Terry Madden, USADA chief executive officer. “This is a far cry from athletes accidentally testing positive as a result of taking contaminated nutritional supplements. Rather, 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 who pay to attend sports events,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dr. Barbara K. Hecht and Dr. Frederick Hecht of MedicineNet.com said that THG has been recently figured out in numerous sports scandals linking athletes of track and field particularly. American athletes are considered to face lifetime bans even for first-time steroids violations according to the Officials of US track and field. Athletes are also required to pay as high as $100,000 fines once they are convicted for steroid use. Involved coaches can also face the same fines.

The FDA also released their statement on THG saying they had determined that THG is not an approved new drug. The drug cannot be legally marketed without any approval from the FDA. Brunetti also reported that the coach provided the used syringe pointed to a California Company as the source of the THG. According to the report, the store of nutritional supplement laboratory had attracted numerous clients including elite athletes.

Brunetti also explained the confusing issue about the drug in later part of her report. She mentioned that since the drug was not known, it was also never included on the list of banned substances in many leagues.

However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) explained that THG is intended to avoid detection in drug testing. Hence, those athletes who were caught positive for the hidden drug should receive a punishment.

Officials of WADA added that a proactive approach in this particular matter is very crucial. They explained that giving punishment to those athletes sends a message that any form of cheating is not tolerated. They also added that such step assures the public viewers the elimination of doping in sport.

Anabolic steroids have long-term positive effects for bodybuilders and power lifters; this is what a team of researchers from Umea University in Sweden found out.  Anabolic steroids, synthetic hormones derived from the male hormone testosterone, are banned substances in the sports world and for use as a performance enhancer.  Professional baseball and football players have been using steroids to build their muscle strength. This is also true for body builders and power lifters where building muscles is more important than endurance.
   
Anders Eriksson and Lars-Eric Thornell from the Department of Integrative Medical Biology, University of Umea, Sweden, examined the impact of anabolic steroids years after power lifters have ceased taking the drug.   They found that while traces of the drug can no longer be found in the system, the changes that steroids had on the user’s quadriceps and shoulder still gave the lifters quite an advantage years later.
   
The nature of power lifting

Power lifting involves lifting heavy dumbbells while performing three repetitions including squats, bench presses, and dead lifts.  It is a strength sport that is somewhat similar to weight lifting. The difference is that weight lifting is a dynamic sport while power lifting is more of a static sport.  Power lifters focus more on body strength and rely heavily on their muscles.
  
Type of muscle fiber used in power lifting

Human muscles occur along different fiber types. The body has three main types of muscle fiber: type I, type IIA and type IIB.  Type I is the slowest and weakest but has the most endurance. Type IIA is the fastest and strongest but has the least endurance.  Type IIB is the most powerful and is the most frequently used muscle fiber by power lifters.   Anabolic steroids enhance muscle fiber size by adding more nuclei to the muscle.
     
Muscle fiber comparable to high-intensity trained athletes

The researchers focused on the two muscles most used in power lifting: vastus lateralis in the quadriceps and trapezius in the shoulder-neck muscles.  What they discovered was that several years after the withdrawal of anabolic steroids and with little or no current strength-training, the muscle fiber area intensity of the individual was still comparable to those who were currently performing high-intensity training.  This meant that the nuclei per fiber in the quadriceps were virtually the same for both groups.   They also found that the trapezius area was comparable to athletes under high-intensity training and that the number of nuclei per fiber in that area was even higher than for those who were currently using steroids.
          
Dr. Eriksson says that it is possible that he high number of nuclei per fiber found in the muscle might be beneficial to athletes who resume or continue strength training because it can increase protein synthesis which can translate to more muscle mass.  He adds that between power lifters who were steroid-users and non-users, the period of anabolic steroid use is an advantage in the competition of power lifting even after several years after the user has stopped taking the drug.   

A lot of athletes and bodybuilders who take anabolic steroids use it as a training drug. It is rarely used as a stimulant before or during a competition because it offers no benefits and it is too risky. They use anabolic steroids during the off-season because there is lesser risk in getting caught during a drug test, which is usually held before the competition. Some sports federations, however, counter this practice by holding random drug tests even during the off-season. But the smaller federations as well as school or amateur leagues cannot afford to do this because steroid testing is quite expensive.

Early retirement and comeback

Some athletes who take steroids train in other countries to avoid detection by random drug testing. An extreme measure for some athletes is to take an early retirement from the sport but actually continue with training and taking steroids. While this means loss of funding from the organization that sponsors the athlete, it is a risk some take to be able to train with steroids and then make a comeback later on.

For instance, an athlete can retire after one Olympiad, train with steroids in the next few years, and then come out of the retirement and rejoin the team in time for the next Olympiad. In this way, the athlete will not be subjected to the random drug tests during the off-season.

Counter-measure to drug testing

In addition to random drug testing, sports organizations use a testosterone to epitestosterone ratio test to combat drug use among athletes. This type of test is very effective in detecting the use of anabolic steroids long after the injection of steroids or long after the steroids has been out of the athlete’s system. However, there is a simple but effective method that athletes use as a counter-measure to the testosterone to epitestosterone ratio test. What drug testers do in this test is they look at the ratio of testosterone to the epitestosterone in the person’s body. If the testosterone level is more than six times than that of the epitestosterone, it can be safely concluded that some form of testosterone was induced in the body and was not produced naturally. To pass the test, all the athlete who uses steroids has to do is inject pure epitestosterone to bring back his or her testosterone to epitestosterone ratio level back to normal. Injecting epitestosterone an hour before the drug test will usually produce a negative result.

Eliminating steroids from the body

There are many ways that athletes can eliminate steroids from the body to avoid being detected during a drug test. The time it takes to eliminate traces of steroids in the body varies from person to person and on the particular steroid. Many factors influence the rate of excretion of steroid matter from the user’s system. Using other supplements such as vitamins and other medications can affect the liver’s ability to process the steroids and inhibit its absorption, and consequently a longer time for eliminating the steroids is needed.

Other important factors to consider in determining the clearance time include the method of administration, the time of use, the amount of water in the body, the body-fat level, the dosage, and where the steroids is injected in the body.

William Roger Clemens, one of the most famous and critically acclaimed baseball players of his time was recently reported to have been dropped off from his own Medical Center in Houston for his alleged use of performance enhancing steroids (anabolic steroids).

Every person all over the world is aware of the fact that the use of anabolic steroids or any steroids for that matter is highly discouraged or even banned in the playing field of all athletes. This is due to the fact that steroids could pose a great threat to the health of athletes and at the same time a form of cheating against athletes who are clean and steroid-free.

As one of the most noted baseball pitchers of his time, Roger Clemens continues to be in the limelight when it comes to controversies relating to his alleged use of injected steroids. On December 13, 2007, Clemens’ former trainer Brian McNamee claimed and confessed that he injected the pitcher used by Clemens with Winstrol steroids and human growth hormones from 1998 to 2001. However, Clemens denies allegations and said that such a thing could have never happened.

His wide knowledge about steroids as written in Jose Canseco’s book Juiced: The Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big got the public talking that he probably has direct use of steroids in order for him to gain as much information – to this he denies the same allegations.

Clemens’ attorney Rusty Hardin denied both claims calling both individuals troubled and possibly unreliable witnesses to the case.

Even if this is so, the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System will still continue to drop the name of the famous baseball pitcher in order to avoid direct link with the player and avoid controversies that the healthcare system is indeed supporting the case that Roger Clemens is facing at the moment.

The Roger Clemens Institute for Sports Medicine will be named Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute effective January 1, 2009 to better reflect its commitment with all athletes and not just Roger Clemens alone.

Even if the name of the institution will be changed, Roger Clemens’ involvement will still be expected and highly appreciated by the Institute’s team as he continues to aid youth sports train aspiring baseball players of the next generation.

In June 2006, Roger Clemens gave his full support to the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Project and gave a generous amount of $3 million for the construction of the pediatric wing and therapy room at the children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.

However, reports stated that the $3 million donation by Clemens is not enough to counterfeit the claims that are still pending the decision of the court. At the moment Roger Clemens is still under investigation by the FBI and the Justice Department after he testified that he never, not once made use of steroids and any other form of performance enhancing drugs and human growth hormones and denied the allegations of his former trainer McNamee.

Anabolic steroids are controlled substances banned by most sports organizations for use as an athletic performance enhancer. When used, it makes athletes more powerful and muscular and gives athletes a competitive edge. Many athletes and bodybuilders abuse anabolic steroids. There are many types of steroids. Some are naturally produced in the body and others are synthetically manufactured. Steroids are also used for various purposes for treating different illnesses and diseases. Anabolic steroids should not be confused with corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are used to reduce swelling and treat overactive immune responses. They can be applied topically or injected depending on the indications.

Anabolic steroids are synthetically manufactured male hormones or testosterone. Both males and females produce testosterone but males produce it more than females. It is the hormone that deepens the voice and develops the male-type structure in humans as well as animals. Like all hormones, which regulate the body’s basic functions, having a testosterone imbalance (whether deficiency or excess) can cause various physiological and psychological consequences, and can affect the health.

When do doctors prescribe steroids?

Doctors prescribe anabolic steroids to patients who have hormonal imbalance caused by various medical conditions, specifically for males suffering delayed puberty. It is also prescribed for older males with loss of testicular function. Anabolic steroids is also used to treat muscle wasting in AIDS and cancer patients because it helps develop leaner body mass. Doctors are not allowed to prescribe steroids to athletes or as a performance enhancer.

Are steroids illegal?

Because steroids are controlled substances it is used, distributed and purchased within certain regulations and limitations. Without a doctor’s prescription for a valid medical condition, it is illegal to possess steroids. Illicit steroid use can lead to legal prosecution. Under federal law, the first time a person is caught in the possession of anabolic steroids without a valid prescription, that person can be fined up to $1,000 and serve a sentence of up to one year in prison. For a first-time offense of steroids trafficking, the maximum penalty is a $250,000 fine and up to five years in prison. A second offense can lead to double the penalty. Besides federal law, steroids are also illegal under state law and for most sports organizations, including international sports federations such as the Olympics. There is an international organization, called the World Anti-Doping Agency, which regulates the use of steroids in international sports.

Side-effects of steroids

Anabolic steroids affect the entire body and can have unwanted side-effects. Some of these side-effects are common across all users while other side –effects are specific only to the person’s sex or age.

Sex-specific side-effects

Men who take anabolic steroids may develop breasts, get painful erections and become impotent or infertile. It may also cause them to have decrease sperm count and shrunk testicles. In women, unwanted side-effects of anabolic steroid use include excessive growth of facial and body hair, developing a deeper voice, experiencing irregular menstrual cycle. They may also experience reduced breast size, enlarged clitoris, and masculinized female fetus. Steroids side-effects for both males and females include acne, oily skin and scalp, balding, tendon rupture, hear attacks, enlarged heart, liver disease, mood swings, rages, delusions, and high cholesterol.

Anabolic steroids, one of the most abused drugs in the sports world, can possibly cause low sperm count in males. In the United States, the use of steroids without a prescription is illegal and can warrant an arrest, hefty fine and prison sentence. In most sports organizations, nationally as well as internationally, a long list of steroids is included in the list of banned substances. Any athlete found to be using steroids is automatically disqualified from competing.

Repeated and prolonged use of steroids can lead to very serious physical and psychological side-effects. Because anabolic steroids are synthesized male hormones or testosterone, which play a major role in sexual reproduction, it can affect the male reproductive system. One of the side-effects of using steroids in males is low sperm count. Anabolic steroids can be injected or taken orally and both type of administration have serious consequences. Side effects of steroids can take months or years to show or come out. Even after years that a person has quit taking steroids, problems can still occur later on, such as having a low sperm count.

Steroids can lead to various sexual and reproductive side effects. Besides low sperm count, steroid use can lead to decreased sex drive and impotence. Furthermore, it can cause men to develop enlarged breasts and smaller testicles. In some cases, ceasing the use of steroids can alleviate the side-effects but some side-effects such as low sperm count can be experiences in a long term basis even when the steroid use has stopped. For some, the problem may never disappear.

In a new study done by professor Sergio Recabarren of the University of Concepcion in Chile, it was found that excess exposure to sexual steroids, such as testosterone, during pregnancy and when the fetus is in development, may potentially cause low sperm count and motility in the baby.

Professor Recabarren says that most of the disorders affecting sperm count in males originate during fetal life. A developing fetus is very sensitive and vulnerable to its environment. When the fetus’ environment is exposed to too much sexual steroids, it can dramatically affect the fertility of a male offspring. Dr. Recabarren says that excessive exposure to steroids prenatally can occur in two ways. It can either be due to a hormonal condition like polycystic ovary syndrome which occurs in the maternal environment or it can be due to industrial pollutants which mimic steroid activity, inhibiting or accelerating the native steroid production of the body.

In the study, the researchers injected 30mg testosterone propionate to pregnant sheep twice weekly from the 30th to the 90th day of pregnancy. They also injected pregnant sheep with 40mg testosterone propionate during the 90th to 120th day of pregnancy. The male sheep born from the mothers who were injected with testosterone were found to have significantly reduced sperm count, body weight, and scroital circumference compared with the control sheep. While the study involved sheep, Dr. Recabarren says that the results can certainly be the same for humans.