The University Interscholastic League (UIL) reported recently that there is no student athlete tested positive for steroids. The tests were conducted from January to May 2010 at 207 schools in Texas. Proponents of the steroid testing program in the state have proven their argument that testing student athletes for anabolic steroids is still the best deterrent. For the first time, the 3,308 students checked by the UIL were all clean of any banned substances.

Although the state reduced its budget for the current year to $1 million due to financial woes, the UIL was able to cover all high schools under the program. The number of tests may be lower as compared to previous years but the results are still significant to the proponents. Even if there are critics who are not in favor of putting huge budget for steroid testing, the number of steroid positives declines and this year’s result is a sign that the program is successful.

Since 2008, the UIL was able to conduct 50,000 tests. However, only 20 student athletes were found and confirmed to be using anabolic steroids. According to UIL officials, random testing for steroids will continue in the upcoming school year. The continuous reduction of the budget however, will also reduce the number of students to be tested. The $1 million allotted by the Texas Education Agency last year will be lowered to $750,000.

A detailed breakdown of the UIL report for the Spring 2010 Anabolic Steroid Testing is as follows. This was published by www.kristv.com.

Total Number of Tests: 3,308
2,092 boys were tested representing 11 sports
1,216 girls were tested representing 10 sports
207 schools were tested

Breakdown of Tests Conducted by Grade and Gender:
9th grade - Females: 375, Males: 609
10th grade - Females: 374, Males: 562
11th grade - Females: 313, Males: 551
12th grade - Females: 154, Males: 370

Breakdown of Tests Conducted by Sport:
A multisport athlete will be represented more than once in this list. Therefore, the individual sport numbers will differ from the total number of athletes tested.

Male Baseball: 148
Male Basketball: 176
Male Cross Country: 41
Male Football: 590
Male Golf: 40
Male Soccer: 209
Male Swimming: 29
Male Tennis: 77
Male Track & Field: 59
Male Wrestling: 56
Male Multi-sport: 682
Total Male: 2,107

Female Basketball: 105
Female Cross County: 20
Female Golf: 29
Female Soccer: 166
Female Softball: 143
Female Swimming: 40
Female Tennis: 87
Female Track & Field: 81
Female Volleyball: 123
Female Multi-sport: 405
Total Females: 1,199

Results:
Total Number of Positives: 0
Total Number of Unresolved: 0*
*An Unresolved Case means it would be reported from the laboratory with Testosterone: Epitestosterone (T:E) ratios greater than 6:1. This would require further investigation, collection and/or laboratory analysis before a final resolution can be reached.

Total Number of Protocol Positives: 0
A protocol positive results when a student-athlete violates UIL steroid-testing protocol.

Pro and anti steroids are still debating on the extent of the side effects of using anabolic steroids. Those people who are not against the use of these drugs belie many reported side effects especially on the emotional aspect of a person. Though there are side effects, not all negative behavior seen on a steroid user can be attributed to his use of the drug. For them there could be other factors that cause this behavior. However, anti-steroids people are quick to blame steroids for violent behaviors seen on most bodybuilders and other users. The aggressive behavior of the users is often referred to as “roid rage.”

Anabolic steroids actually provide many benefits especially if it is used for medical treatment. However, its misuse has given the drug a very bad reputation. When you hear steroids, you will always think of its negative side effects. But when it is used properly and with the guidance of a health professional or a doctor, these side effects are minimized or avoided. Young cadet Matt Dear died of steroid complications due to self-medication. Taylor Hooton committed suicide because he wants to take a shortcut in becoming one of the greatest baseball players in his school. Jose Canseco admitted that he is on a testosterone therapy because of long term use of steroids but it made him one of the best baseball sluggers in the country. Chris Benoit murdered his family and killed himself because of steroids. All of these cases are attributed to abuse of the drug.

Any kind of medicine if taken at high dosages can be harmful to the body. People usually get the side effects because they want to take shortcuts. The culture plays a major role why there are a lot of people who are now engaged in bodybuilding. A bodybuilder said that taking steroids are common among bodybuilders. But the problem is they usually take beyond the recommended dosage. “You’re supposed to take just one a day, but the other guys all take five a day so I decided I should do that as well. It quickly became routine to take a pill before work,” he said.

According to Roy Jones, a substance abuse worker, the profile of steroids users have changed dramatically. “The average age used to be 34. But in the last decade it has gone down to 22 or 23. They are generally male and, unlike before, aren’t using the drugs to enhance performance but simply to enhance their image. The people I was seeing came from professions across the board - solicitors, bankers, people in average jobs. They wanted to lose body fat and to look toned,” he told the Dailymail.

A steroid expert interviewed by BBC said that the link between steroid misuse and actual behavior changes can be very hard to prove. According to Jim McVeigh of the Centre for Public Health of John Moores University at Liverpool said the evidence was “quite thin.” “To date it’s not been possible to prove a causal effect between anabolic steroids and aggression. Part of the problem is that a lot of the side-effects are self-reported so there is a high level of bias. Also, because of the nature of the drugs used it is rare to identify the exact drug used. It’s an illicit market - most of the drugs are fake or counterfeit and we do not know what’s in them,” he said.

He also said that any change on behavior of the user is difficult to blame on any history of steroid abuse. There are drugs which may be fine with other users but others may experience side effects. “But you can’t separate out the effects of the drug from other factors like lifestyle and personality traits when it comes to behaviour. Steroid use is just one of a number of factors to consider,” MVeigh added.

The recent steroid related murder incidents in UK have triggered significant concerns from health experts. The case of Raoul Moat and Jonathan Vass, who were involved in heinous crimes, were both steroid users. According to reports they were both victims of roid rage as a result of using anabolic steroids.

The use of muscle enhancers and bodybuilding supplements in the UK is still increasing despite strict regulations of the drug. It is a class c drug but most often it can be purchased at local gyms and underground markets. In the latest estimate of the British Crime Survey, there are at least 226,000 people who have used steroids. However, health experts believe that the statistics are way to low. They said that there are still a huge number of undocumented steroid users in the country.

Nick Francis of The Sun interviewed several health experts and some of them work in needle exchange programs. It was revealed that the majority of the needles came from steroid users. According to Dr. Ken Checinski, a consultant psychologist for drugs information charity FRANK, half of the needles they requested were steroid packs. “I do a lot of work with needle-exchange services, run by Addaction, the UK’s biggest drug-treatment charity. It used to be mostly needles used for injection of drugs like heroin,” he said. There is a huge increase in the number of users.

“Steroids definitely make people who are already prone to mood issues worse, and can make a placid person irritable, depressed and violent in extreme cases,” said Dr. Checinski. Anabolic steroids are also used in legitimate medical treatments but Dr. Checinski said that it could still cause mood disorders which can be depression or anger.

Another drug charity worker interviewed by Francis revealed the same facts. Roy Jones of drugs charity Turning Point said that the needle-exchange programs in the country are flooded with steroid users surpassing the number of users of recreational drugs like heroin. “We’re seeing more and more people come in with steroid use - from all walks of life, including doctors and lawyers. Their average age used to be around 34 but now a lot of users are in their late teens or early twenties,” Jones said. There are even students as young as 12 years old who are already interested in taking steroids.

According to Dr. Jim McVeigh of John Moores University in Liverpool, the increasing number is caused by people’s belief that steroids can help them achieve what they want at a faster pace. “We’re now seeing a much higher proportion of people turning to anabolic steroids as a quick fix. They take them too lightly. The number of users is definitely greater than stated in the official statistics,” McVeigh said.

Almost all bodybuilders depend on anabolic steroids to increase muscles and gain more weight. However, health experts warn them of the possible side effects of using steroids for longer periods and their tendency to abuse these drugs. “Having dealt with a number of steroid users over the years, I would say the steroids are as bad for the liver as alcohol. They also cause baldness and acne on the face and body,” said Dr. Checinski. “They don’t increase strength as much as size, with users looking big but not necessarily becoming stronger. But people with low self-esteem, or who feel pressure to have a strong physique, are most likely to use them,” he added.

In the interview with Brian Lockhart of the Connecticut Post, Vince McMahon has again denied that steroid use is still a problem in professional wrestling. He even argued that the increasing number of deaths of pro wrestlers should not be blamed on his company. The death of Chris Benoit who murdered his family was again asked to the WWE CEO. “People look for excuses as to why someone would do that. I don’t think you can point to his profession as to why he did that,” said McMahon. For McMahon it is unfair to pinpoint them as major contributor on the health condition and fate of the wrestler.

Everybody knows that steroid use became rampant in WWE. Professional wrestlers and the company were even implicated in a federal investigation several years ago. People are now curious if the WWE was able to stop the rampant use of these drugs when they implemented their own version of an anti-doping policy. McMahon said that the current Wellness Policy is effective in curtailing the use of anabolic steroids in the sports. “Without telling you too much about it because we have some confidentiality. I think we’re ranking pretty good. We just don’t have any problems at all. None,” McMahon told Lockhart.

With the nature of the sports, it is still hard to believe that the company was able to halt all wrestlers in using steroids. We can still see wrestlers with bulging muscles and physique typical of a steroid user. If they could not find any wrestler who is involved in doping, maybe there is a problem in the steroid testing policy or their athletes are way ahead in beating their wellness program.

In the interview, McMahon also commented on the previous statement of his wife Senatoriable Linda McMahon. Linda told the Businessweek that there was no enough evidence that long term steroids use can have adverse effects to the user. “There’s not much information that you guys know about steroids other than the media is writing hysterically about them, and maybe they should,” said McMahon.

He emphasized that there is no extensive research on the subject even by the government. “I don’t know there’s really been any great research you can point to that definitely says this is deleterious to your health or in some cases it helps you or whatever. So I don’t think there’s enough empirical research done, certainly not by the government.” McMahon added.

Meanwhile, former WWE Diva Dawn Marie admitted in an interview with the Connecticut Post that she also took anabolic steroids. She said that steroids are needed for her to stay in the sport. “Did Vince tell me to take that shortcut? No. Did WWE? No. Why did I do it? Because I thought that’s what I needed to do in order to keep up… There was not testing policy,” she said. Marie is now involved in the Wrestler’s Rescue charity.

The use of anabolic steroids and other dietary supplements are not only popular among professional athletes and bodybuilders but also on teens. Most of them tries to bulk up and wants to attain bigger bodies because of their desire to excel in the sport. School competitions cause a lot of pressure to some high school athletes. In fact there are already some cases where the use of steroids in teens results to severe complications and deaths. The sons of Don Hooton and Frank Mariero were both victims of steroid abuse. Their sons were high school athletes who turned to anabolic steroids hoping that it will help them become a better athlete.

According to the survey of the NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), there were approximately 3.4% of high school seniors who have used anabolic steroids. Some lawmakers argue that the actual number of teens using performance enhancing drugs could be higher. This is the primary reason why some states have not remove their steroid testing program in high school. Even though they have a reduced budget for the testing, lawmakers and school officials are still hoping that it can deter steroid use among teens.

Anabolic steroids and other supplements are not actually dangerous if it is used with medical supervision. In fact anabolic steroids play a significant role in the treatment of some degenerative diseases like HIV and cancer. It is also used in the treatment of delayed puberty and some types of impotence. Steroids are also beneficial in promoting the growth of skeletal muscles and the development of male sexual characteristics. In the case of dietary supplements, some of them may also improve one’s health. People who have an active lifestyle or engage in sports usually use supplements to augment the intake of necessary nutrients.

However, these products are not intended to be used by younger people. Instead of getting the benefits from these supplements, they may suffer side effects and complications. According to some experts, steroids use in teens could affect their physical development. They may never reach their full adult height because an increase in synthetic hormones may give a wrong signal to the body to stop growing. Taking steroids and supplements can lead to addiction which can cause depression and roid rage. Other side effects are heart problems like heart attacks and stroke, liver disease, gynecomastia, facial hair or a deeper voice in women, fertility problems, hair loss and many others.

Steroid use in teens is difficult to curtail because of the availability of these products. Although anabolic steroids are controlled substances, it is still being sold online and even distributed at local gyms. Dietary supplements are also available in pharmacies and health stores. These can be purchased over-the-counter without prescriptions. The worst thing is most teens purchase these supplements without any supervision from a nutritionist or health professional.

According to a sports physician, there are supplements which are banned just like anabolic steroids. Though products like creatine, HMB, alanine, caffeine, green tea, conjugated linoleic acid and medium chain triglycerides are widely used supplements to increase athletic performance and develop muscles, expert supervision is still necessary.

Aside from anabolic steroids, HGH use is now a major problem of most sports organizations. It’s good that the MLB started to implement HGH testing on its minor leaguers but many are still hoping that the coverage should be expanded. The NFL should also initiate a more comprehensive anti-doping program by including HGH testing. Although there were no concrete evidences that will prove the extent of HGH use in the sport, many allegations from within the organization especially from current players and retired players who believes that there is a high percentage of HGH use in football.

But why is it that most football players and other athletes as well are against HGH testing? Author of the book “Spiral of Denial: Muscle Doping in American Football” Matt Chaney shared his insights on this issue when interviewed by Soren Hansen Hygum of DraftdayDK. An obvious reason is that football players don’t want to be caught using this drug. Urine testing can only effectively detect anabolic steroids but not HGH. To test for HGH, NFL should include new methods of detecting this drug like the adoption of blood testing. However, Chaney believes that contemporary players are very wary of releasing health information they consider private, regarding drugs or otherwise. Players do not trust the management if they can implement it effectively. Reports shows that blood testing for HGH can still result in a false positive.

The reliability of HGH test is still the primary concern of most professional players. This is also the reason why the MLB players association is not giving in to the clamor of including blood testing in the collective bargaining. According to Chaney, the current WADA blood test for rhGH, designed to differentiate the dominant GH isoform from its bio-engineered clone, apparently is useless for battling abuse in any sport, much less the NFL. “No drug-savvy football player in America would be so stupid as to flunk this test, with its detection window of only hours,” he said.

Although he admitted that there is a new development in WADA’s HGH tests. GH-biomarker test is said to have a 14-day detection window which makes it a more reliable anti-doping test. But even if WADA was able to improve its methods in detecting cheaters, athletes are still way ahead in avoiding detection. Chaney said that a lot of players and coaches use low-doses of testosterone and hGH stack to make it more effective at both enhancing performance and evading detection.

HGH use is popular among athletes because it helps in rapid rejuvenation of depleted muscles. It will be difficult to prevent its use in professional sports because many athletes believe HGH helps restore joints from wear and tear or from an injury. “For size and power, athletes believe androgens, testosterone and/or anabolic steroids, are necessary in concert with “Growth” to achieve great gains,” said Chaney during the interview.

Chaney believes that HGH use in NFL is still rampant. He cited some of the allegations of NFL players that 30% to 50% of players are using human growth hormones. Tony Mandarich, a former Packers lineman, also said that a lot of doctors are prescribing HGH to several players. Mandarich also admitted that he used anabolic steroids and HGH while playing in the NFL. “Retired NFL players have told me a large majority of active players use rhGH, at all positions in any given year, and many retirees enjoy the drug’s reinvigorating effects long after they’ve left the game and anabolic steroids,” added Chaney.

Chaney was asked if it is still possible for the NFL to prevent HGH use in the sport. “I’ve virtually given up hope that any technology will ever prevent muscle doping in any sport, from steroids to hGH, and elimination is out of the question,” Chaney replied. The problem is on how to improve the current methods of anti-doping which will need a lot of funding. Chaney suggested that the NFL can place restrictions on player sizes to at least control the use of performance enhancing drugs.