Anabolic steroids are chemicals that are similar to the male sex hormone testosterone, which is responsible for male secondary sex characteristics when young men reach puberty. Although they have been used (and continue to be used) in professional sports, anabolic steroids are used by increasing numbers of teenagers, especially non-athletes, who want to build size and strength.

Studies in the 1970s on anabolic steroids tended to dismiss their strength-enhancing properties. As a result, health educators used to tell students that steroids did nothing except tap into the well-known placebo effect. The rhetoric, however, did not match what steroid users were actually experiencing. Today, it is well established that anabolic steroids do, in fact, contribute significantly to increased muscle mass, especially when taken by an individual who is training intensely with weights and following an adequate diet. Whether this increased muscle mass causes better athleticperformances, however, has not been scientifically shown. Remind students that athletics requires skill, speed, coordination, etc.-not just strength.

Two of the most visible groups taking anabolic steroids today are professional bodybuilders and, of course, professional wrestlers, who have become cult heroes for millions of young people. Football players, along with track and field athletes, whose events require explosive speed and strength, also comprise a significant portion of those who use steroids to enhance performance. Unfortunately, steroids can damage many body organs, including the liver, heart and kidneys. Former professional football star, Lyle Alzado, developed brain cancer, which was attributed to long-term steroid use.

How They Work
Anabolic steroids are more accurately defined as anabolic-androgenic steroids. The word anabolic refers to the "building-up" effects, while androgenic refers to the masculine effects of the drug. These chemicals are taken either orally in pill form or by injection.

When steroids enter the bloodstream, they are distributed to the muscles as well as the major organs of the body. The steroids then enter the cell membrane to the cytoplasm. Once there, the steroids bind to specific receptors and then enter the nucleus of the cell, where they are able to stimulate the production of new proteins. These proteins are responsible for the sought-after effects of steroids. They are also responsible for the side-effects. For example, changes in protein synthesis in muscle tissue may mean a greater capacity to adapt to increasing workload. On the other hand, changes in protein synthesis in the liver could result in excess production of cholesterol.

In the brain, steroids affect the hypothalamus and the limbic system. Because the hypothalamus controls the body's hormone levels, steroid use may result in lowered testosterone production in the male and the cessation of menstruation in the female. By affecting the limbic system, steroids produce changes in memory and moods. Animal investigations reveal that anabolic steroids impair learning and promote aggressiveness. Poor impulse control and even violent behavior have long been observed in people who use steroids.

Medical Uses for Anabolic Steroids
Anabolic steroids were developed in the 1930s to treat rare diseases in males whose testosterone production was very low or non-existent. Steroids were also used to treat certain types of anemia and kidney problems. They are also helpful in treating severe burns and some types of breast cancer. Even with the new anabolic steroids, the androgenic properties are still present to some degree, and it is these properties that result in side-effects. Doctors prescribe the lowest dose possible that helps the patient.

The doses required to build muscle for athletes are much higher than those for patients with legitimate medical problems. This means there is no safe use of steroids for those not under a doctor's care. Routine blood tests will not detect much of the short-term damage until it is too late and permanent damage has occurred. Further, since 80 percent of the steroids used by athletes are from illegal sources, users have no idea what they are really getting.

Reasons for Concern 
The desire to succeed in athletics, especially in lucrative professional sports, has always meant that some athletes will look beyond the search for performance-enhancing diets and workouts to chemicals that they believe will give them the edge. Because of steroids' side effects and the unfair advantage they may confer, anabolic steroids are banned by all major sports organizations. Both the NCAA and the National Football League test for anabolic steroids. Users may be banned from competition for one year to life, depending upon prior infractions. The news media gives substantial coverage to athletes who test positive for steroids.

Many young teenagers are rarely happy with their developing bodies and will do almost anything to improve their appearance. Although weight training and sound nutrition will develop a healthy, muscular body, the impatient young person wants to see results faster; hence, the temptation to use steroids. Today, most young people who use steroids are not even athletes, but people who want to look good in time for Spring Break, summer vacation, etc.

The National Institute of Drug Abuse reports that 3 percent of high school students (5 percent of males and 0.05 percent of females) reported using steroids at least once. Another study claims that among students in grades seven through twelve, 5-11 percent of males and more than 2.5 percent of females have used steroids.

Steroids and the Law
In 1990, congressional legislation made steroids Schedule III drugs, meaning it is illegal for anyone to sell, purchase or use anabolic steroids for non-medical reasons. Selling steroids, especially to minors, is considered a felony and often results in a prison sentence. In addition, doctors, pharmacists and veterinarians who dispense anabolic steroids for non-medical reasons are committing felonies and risk both losing their licenses and prison terms.

How Do Young People Acquire Steroids?
Because they are legally available only through a doctor's prescription, about 80 percent of anabolic steroids come from illegal sources, the so-called "black market." These steroids are stolen from pharmaceutical warehouses, obtained from fraudulent prescriptions, smuggled in from countries where the sale of steroids is not carefully regulated, or produced in "underground" laboratories. The lack of quality controls makes these steroids especially risky.

Black market steroids are sold through body building magazines, drug dealers, in gyms and even through pharmacists. Many manuals are available to "instruct" people how to use various types of steroids. These manuals also have articles on how to "beat" the urine test for steroids.

Greater Risks for Teenagers
Many young people who are not comfortable with their bodies believe a perfect physique will make them happy. Because adolescents' bodies are still developing, steroids have greater potential to cause damages at this age. For example, natural hormones are necessary for puberty to occur and proceed at the appropriate rate. Steroids, which are also hormones, interfere with the natural maturation process. Adolescence and puberty have always been accompanied by mood swings and confusion. Taking steroids exacerbates these feelings.

Another example of risk is also related to hormone levels. A teenage male produces testosterone in the testicles based upon signals from the pituitary gland. If this person takes synthetic hormones like steroids, the pituitary gland thinks the testicles are producing too much testosterone and tells them to slow down. The result can be testicular shrinkage (atrophy], with the possibility of permanently changed hormone levels.

Finally, steroids cause premature closing of the growth plates at the end of the long bones of the body. Teenagers who take steroids may literally "lock in" their adult heights at the heights they are in adolescence.

Are Steroids Addicting?
People who have been using steroids for a long time may become dependent upon them; that is, they may psychologically believe that they cannot function without them. Just as anorexics develop an abnormal "fear of being fat," body builders and other strength athletes may develop an abnormal "fear of being small." Because long-term steroid use eventually "takes over" the body's natural production of testosterone, quitting steroids all at once will cause a shock to the endocrine system, which must now try to create testosterone normally. This shock may result in very pronounced withdrawal symptoms, such as depression, impotence, anxiety, etc.

These withdrawal symptoms are evidence that steroids may also be physically addicting. Some steroid users deal with these feelings by going back on steroids or by using other psychoactive drugs.

Side-effects of Steroid Use
Even among persons of the same gender, the main effects of steroids will vary a great deal, as will the side-effects. For both sexes, the following consequences have been observed by physicians, parents and coaches. As expected, they run the gamut from minor to potentially lethal.

General Consequences

Consequences for Males
For males, the following sexually related effects have been noted:

Consequences for Females
For females, the following sexually related effects have been noted:

Building Strength Without Steroids
Growth, or hypertrophy, of muscle requires three things:

Overload means that the muscles must be forced to work progressively harder over a period of time. This can be done by increasing the amount of weight that is used in workouts, the number of repetitions or both. Successful athletes in all sports use steroid-free strength training to improve performance and reduce the chance of injury. Success in most sports requires much more than strength; quickness, endurance, coordination and poise are all separate skills and must be practiced.

Nutrition means that there must be adequate energy for the workouts. Complex carbohydrates, protein and fats must come from a variety of food sources. Following a healthy diet means that vitamins and supplements (such as protein supplements or amino acids) are unnecessary and a waste of money.

Although muscles get pumped up during a weight workout (due to increased blood flow), muscles actually grow when the body is at rest, not when the workout is actually taking place. Many top athletes lift weights on alternate days, or, if they lift every day, not always at the same intensity.

Strength gains made during steroid use are quickly lost when people stop using steroids. Permanentstrength and power are the reward for those who work with their body's natural gifts, using progressive overload, good nutrition and adequate rest.