Nicole Koser Article Review II

Drugs & Behavior Oct. 26, 2000

A New York Times article from Oct.11 entitled "Steroid Suspicions Abound in Major League Dugouts" discussed the apparent prevalence of steroid-use among Major League Baseball players. To convey the magnitude of the problem, the article reported that in a random sample of 25 players in San Diego during spring training, about 1 in 5 tested positive for steroids. The general view of more than 25 strength coaches, general managers, league officials and players indicates that steroid abuse has become a problem in baseball. Others contend, however, that steroid abuse is limited and players are bigger and stronger because of better diet and training. Nonetheless, there is a growing suspicion that baseball has become tainted by steroid abuse. Unlike the National Football League, college athletics and all sports overseen by the International Olympic Committee, the Major League Baseball organization does not randomly test players for steroids or performance-enhancing drugs.

According to the article, these drugs are desirable to athletes because they stimulate muscle growth and help players to recover from injuries more quickly. They stretch the natural limit of muscle gain. For example, a young baseball player can put on up to 10 pounds of lean muscle mass over the winter naturally, but with the steroids he could gain 30 pounds. Steroid abuse is damaging though, as it is linked with heart disease, stroke and liver disease. High doses can wreak havoc on cholesterol levels and thus, increase the chances of having a heart attack or stroke by five times. Likewise, the article reports that oral steroids are linked to liver disease. These potentially disastrous effects seem to be overlooked by baseball players and other athletes looking to steroids for enhanced-performance and muscle gain.

Upon reviewing journal material related to this topic, I came across an article that outlined what actions steroids are, and are not, responsible for. In this article, Trenhaile and others (1998) reported that steroids are major modulators of behavior and brain chemistry. They also regulate and interact with growth factors, accounting for the dramatic increase in muscle mass that athletes, including baseball players, experience while taking the drugs. They regulate vital behaviors but their behavioral actions appear to be determined by context. Furthermore, according to this research, steroids do not cause behavior. They do not cause an athlete to recover more quickly from an injury either. Instead, steroids create behavioral capacities that assist recovery.

According to a study on of the effects of steroids on rats (Molano, Saborido, & Delgado, 1999), the testosterone contained in steroids hinders the adaptation of the coronary capillaries to exercise training. This impairment could contribute to the cardiovascular complications, such as heart attack or stroke, reported among anabolic steroid abusers. Such complications have been proven to occur. Furthermore, the compatibility of androgenic steroids, for therapeutic as well as experimental purposes with muscular exercise is unclear. Interestingly, it appears that the cardiovascular consequences of simultaneous steroid-use and exercise have not been studied on human subjects. Thus, the effectiveness of the combination remains in question. Tagarakis, Bloch, and Hartmann also reported these same conclusions and raised similar questions after doing their research with mice (2000).

Article taken from:

McKinley, J. C., Jr. (2000, Oct. 11). Steroid Suspicions Abound in Major League Dugouts. The New York Times, p. B1.

References:

Molano, F., Saborido, A., & Delgado, J. (1999). Rat liver lysomsomal and mitochondrial activities are modified by anabolic-androgen steroids. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 31(2), 243-250.

Tagarakis, C., Bloch, W., & Hartmann, G. (2000). Testosterone-propionate impairs the response of the cardiac capillary bed to exercise. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 32(5), 946-953.

Trenhaile, J., Choi, H., & Proctor. T. (1998). The effect of anabolic steroid education on knowledge and attitude of at-risk preadolescents. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 42 (2), 20-35.