Anabolic steroids increase muscle mass and aid in muscle recovery, but have many risks, such as liver damage, heart disease, and stunted growth, especially in teenagers. Caffeine is a stimulant that may cause dehydration. EPO is a kidney protein that may cause stroke or heart attack; it is commonly used by cyclists. Human growth hormone may cause joint pain and muscle weakness. Creatine makes muscles release short but intense bursts of energy and may cause dehydration and liver damage. A high protein diet may cause a build-up of toxic ketones in the blood. Strength training is weight/resistance training that does not really have many risks, other than overexercising and injury. Gene doping is using gene therapy to permanently insert performance-enhancing genes into one's DNA. Androstenedione is produced by hormonal glands, and has similar risks to steroids, such as heart disease and liver damage. Carboloading is an increase in the intake of carbohydrates prior to a major event to build up glycogen stores; this causes weight gain.
Something that concerns me about these performance-enhancing drugs is the prevalence of these drugs all over the world. However, despite this prevalence, there is very little education given at a young age to deter this activity. In our freshman year health classes, we learned about the drugs that are usually abused such as cocaine and marijuana, but we were never taught about the danger of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. Before this lecture, the only thing I knew about steroids was that it caused a increase in muscle mass and other physical changes, but I did not think the risks were that serious due to the high number of people who use it.
Although there are many risky performance-enhancing substances that are dangerous, there are a few performance-enhancing methods that are completely safe when they are utilized appropriately. For instance, strength training is used by many athletes to increase muscle mass by using resistance in the form of weights. This exercise and increase muscle mass and strengthen bones as well; the only risk is injury from overexertion. Carboloading is also not that dangerous, as its only side effect is weight gain, which is logical from the increase of intake of carbohydrates at once; the body stores extra water and glycogen). Perhaps the safest performance-enhancing method of all is massage/ myofascial release, which is the stimulation of the reflex response of the nervous system to reduce muscle tension. As long as the masseuse does not press too hard on the body, there really are no risks for this method.
On the other hand, EPO, gene doping, anabolic steroids, and androstenedione are all dangerous performance-enhancing drugs when used inappropriately. EPO is a hormone naturally produced by the kidneys that increases myoglobin count, which allows more oxygen to reach the muscles. However, if taken inappropriately, EPO can cause heart disease, liver damage, or even death. Next, gene doping is dangerous because the technology for it is experimental. As a result, if something went wrong, it would be difficult to recover because of the lack of experience with this issue. Anabolic steroids are extremely dangerous because they cause an increase of muscle mass along with risks of death, heart disease, and other physical issues. Lastly, androstenedione is a naturally produced hormone that has similar risks as those for anabolic steroids.
A question that I have is whether constantly carboloading is bad for the body, and can have more severe side effects. I know of many athletes that I follow who do carboloading before weightlifting events and other major events.
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