Performance+Enhancing+Drugs

Performance Enhancing Drugs · The practice of using artificial substances or methods to enhance athletic performance is called ** doping ****.** Doping has become such a great concern that the United States formed an [|Anti-Doping Agency]. Athletes may have several reasons for using performance-enhancing drugs. An athlete may want to:
 * ** Build mass and strength of muscles and/or bones **
 * ** Increase delivery of oxygen to exercising tissues **
 * ** Mask pain **
 * ** Stimulate the body **
 * ** Relax **
 * ** Reduce weight **
 * ** Hide use of other drugs **

Mass- and strength-enhancing drugs used by athletes include: Athletes use **anabolic steroids** because they increase muscle strength by encouraging new muscle growth. Anabolic steroids are similar in structure to the male sex hormone, testosterone, so they enhance male reproductive and secondary sex characteristics (testicle development, hair growth, thickening of the vocal cords). They allow the athlete to train harder and longer at any given period. Anabolic steroids are mostly **testosterone** (male sex hormone) and its derivatives. Examples of anabolic steroids include: = Testing Athletes for Drug Use: =
 * ** Anabolic steroids **
 * ** Beta-2 agonists **
 * ** Human chorionic gonadotropin ** (**hCG**)
 * ** Luteinizing hormone ** (**LH**)
 * ** Human growth hormone ** (**hGH**)
 * ** Insulin-like growth factor ** (**IGF-1**)
 * ** Insulin **
 * Blood doping **** is the practice of boosting the number of [|red blood cells] (RBCs) in the circulation in order to enhance athletic performance. Because they carry [|oxygen] from the [|lungs] to the [|muscles], more RBCs in the blood can improve an athlete’s [|aerobic capacity] (VO2 max) and [|endurance] . **
 * Testosterone
 * Dihydrotestosterone
 * Androstenedione (Andro)
 * Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
 * Clostebol
 * Nandrolone
 * Side effects: **
 * Jaundice and liver damage because these substances are normally broken down in the liver
 * Mood swings, depression and aggression because they act on various centers of the brain
 * ** Males: ** Baldness ,Infertility ,Breast development
 * ** Females: ** Stimulate hair growth on the face and body, Suppress or interfere with [|menstrual cycle] , possibly leading to infertility, Thicken the vocal cords, which causes the voice to deepen, possibly permanently ,If pregnant, interfere with the developing fetus.
 * The majority of drugs that can be used by athletes can be detected in samples of urine, for some substances, blood samples may be required.
 * Currently, there are no reliable tests for hGH, IGF-1 and EPO.
 * The use of anabolic steroids is now banned by all major sporting bodies, including the [|WTA], [|ITF] , [|International Olympic Committee] , [|FIFA] , [|UEFA] , all major [|professional golf tours] , the [|National Hockey League] , [|Major League Baseball] , the [|National Basketball Association] , the [|European Athletic Association] and the [|National Football League] . However drug testing can be wildly inconsistent and, in some instances, has gone unenforced.