Illegal Doping in Sports

Illegal Doping in Sports
By Christian Folsom
2013
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the cheating that is taking place in professional sports through doping.
Introduction
I. When you compete in a sport do you compete fairly? Better yet, when you compete, do you expect other competitors to compete fairly? Many people in professional sports are not competing fairly.
II. Competition has been around for as long as man has been around. When one competes they are putting all of their practice and hard work to the test. When people use steroids they are cheating their way to a victory. There are many different types of steroids and illegal drugs that athletes use and all of them are unfair and slander the very competitions they are used for, but they also tear your own body apart. Steroids are very self-harming.
III. There are three reasons that athletes should not use steroids:
a. First I will discuss how steroids affect and damage your liver.
b. Secondly, I will explain how steroids inhibit your natural hormones.
c. Finally, I will inform you how they affect your cholesterol or your blood lipid profile.
Transition: First I will discuss how steroids affect and damage your liver to an extreme extent.
Body
I. Steroids tear people’s livers apart.
a. Many people believe that steroids only affect hormonal changes and things of that nature. They could not be more wrong. Liver damage may be the most extreme of all side effects possible from the use of steroids.
i. Steroid usage breaks down the liver slowly: "Anabolic steroids are male-related hormones that can be used to increase muscle mass. When these drugs are abused they can have many side effects, including liver damage," notes George Y. Wu, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine, chief of the hepatology section, and Herman Lopata chair in hepatitis research at the University of Connecticut Medical Center in Farmington.
b. Steroids also can cause cancer and tumors in rare cases of over usage. In these rare cases, people end up dying due to the usage and its side effects.
i. “Steroids are known to cause tumors that form in your liver. Called hepatic adenomas, these tumors are not cancerous. However, they are dangerous because they can rupture and cause serious bleeding in the liver. There have been several reported deaths caused by bleeding from ruptured hepatic adenomas. The link between hepatic adenomas and anabolic steroid use in athletes is increasing. Recently, a case of a hepatic adenoma turning into liver cancer was reported.” (Everydayhealth.com).
Transition: Not only can steroids cause extreme health risks and complications, but they can also change your personal appearance through extreme changes in hormones.
II. Steroids act as artificial hormones and thus, inhibit a person’s natural hormonal balance and production.
a. Agression is a common affect of steroid usage and many men find they develop rag like symptoms from taking them orally or through injections.
i. According to “Sports Medicine” by Fred Hartgens “The main untoward effects of short- and long-term AAS abuse that male athletes most often self-report are an increase in sexual drive, the occurrence of acne vulgaris, increased body hair and increment of aggressive behaviour. AAS administration will disturb the regular endogenous production of testosterone and gonadotrophins that may persist for months after drug withdrawal”
b. There is also a chance of a male becoming sterile and women becoming more masculine with increased use.
i. According to “Adverse effects of anabolic steroids in athletes: A constant threat” by C. Maravelias: “Some degree of reduced fertility and gynecomastia in males and masculinization in women and children.”
Transition: Finally, steroids affect ones cardiovascular system and cholesterol as well.
III. Steroids can tear a person’s cardiovascular system along with their cholesterol, and their blood lipid profile.
a. Steroids have been known to cause spikes in blood pressure in users.
i. A study was conducted by the National Institute of health published these findings: “The effects of anabolic steroids on blood pressure was studied in male body builders who received a weekly i.m. injection of nandrolone-decanoate (100 mg) or placebo for 8 weeks in a double blind way. In addition, 5 body builders received the same dosage of nandrolone-decanoate or placebo, in a double blind cross-over design during two 8-week periods, interspersed by 12 weeks. Anabolic steroids induced a 25-27% decrease in HDL-cholesterol, which was virtually reversed 6 weeks after cessation of drug use. In the SAD group an increase in diastolic blood pressure was observed, which returned to pre-anabolic values approximately 6 weeks after cessation of drug administration.”
b. Steroids also affect people’s cholesterol to an extreme extent.
i. A study of the impact of anabolic steroids on those with HIV wasting disease first brought this information to light. Within 12 weeks of using an anabolic steroid, patients with the disease had negatively impacted their cholesterol level. The steroid use in this case did just what was intended - increase the muscle mass in men who were at a high risk of dying, making the impact on cholesterol much less important compared to the short term benefit of the steroid. However, for athletes, body builders or others looking for a fountain of youth, steroid use has been found to pose a different type of risk and life threatening danger.

The research was conducted at the San Francisco VA Medical Center under the direction of Dr. Carl Grunfeld, MD, PhD, and chief of the metabolism and endocrine sections of the hospital. Full results are published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, March 2006 issue.
Transition: You now know three major reasons that people should not use anabolic steroids.
Conclusion
I. This is why people should not use anabolic steroids. Hopefully you now realize how dangerous they can really be.
II. There are three reasons that athletes should not use steroids:
a. First I discussed how steroids affect and damage your liver.
b. Secondly, I explained how steroids inhibit your natural hormones.
c. Finally, I informed you how they affect your cholesterol or your blood lipid profile.
III. Now you know the dangers of anabolic steroids and why they should never be used.

References
Mangono Publishing Co, . "Anabolic Steroid Use Dangerous for Cholesterol Levels." 60 Day Cholesterol Cure. 45.12 (2006): n. page. Web. 7 Mar. 2013. .
Hartgens, Fred. "Effects of Androgenic-Anabolic Steroids in Athletes." Sports Medicine. 34.8 (2004): 513-554. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.
Illiades, Chris. "Steroid Use and Liver Cancer." Everyday Health. 43.2 (2013): n. page. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.

References: Mangono Publishing Co, . "Anabolic Steroid Use Dangerous for Cholesterol Levels." 60 Day Cholesterol Cure. 45.12 (2006): n. page. Web. 7 Mar. 2013. . Hartgens, Fred. "Effects of Androgenic-Anabolic Steroids in Athletes." Sports Medicine. 34.8 (2004): 513-554. Web. 7 Mar. 2013. Illiades, Chris. "Steroid Use and Liver Cancer." Everyday Health. 43.2 (2013): n. page. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.