Abstract
This investigation includes data and resources from different authors explaining the meaning of ergogenic aid. Additionally, the paper also illustrates how steroids are considered in the definition and understanding of ergogenic aid. On the other hand, this research proves some of the health risk associated with the use of steroid on athlete performance, and the significant difference of the human hormone and steroid, as well as the medical consequences connected with the use of steroids. Robergs (2010) has suggested that and ergogenic aid is a substance or any treatment such as steroids, which aims at improving the psychological variables that are connected with exercise performance, and removes subjective that many cause the restraints and reduce that mental capacity. The investigation has also identified several medical implications that are associated with the use steroids. Consequently, the research has identified the difference between steroid and the human growth hormones using several pieces of literature from scholarly articles.
Introduction
Looking from the sports context, athletes have been berated for the use of ergogenic aids in sports activities. This is because; most of them uses these substances such as anabolic steroids to boost their performance, which can cause severe health consequences. Besides, most of the ergogenic aids are claimed to enhance sports performance and are commonly used by unprofessional and specialized athletes without bearing in mind the negative health impact. In spite the fact that steroids have the long history of performance-enhancing drugs in sports, doping has remained the most arguable topic in the contemporary sports. This is because the use ergogenic aids is an issue that has been existing in sports regardless of the accomplishment and the health related risk. On the other hand, an anabolic steroid is mostly used to upsurge muscle mass in the sense that they have muscle building aptitude by manipulating the body’s hormonal system to produce extra testosterone. This paper, therefore, illustrates the meaning of ergogenic aid and how steroid is connected to the definition. Besides, the research will also identify some health risk associated with the use of steroid on athlete performance, and the significant difference of the human hormone and steroid, as well as the medical consequences connected with the use of steroids.
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Robergs (2010) define ergogenic aids are performance enhancers such as steroids. In this case, it tends to progress the mental variable associated with the body-building presentation, or it eliminates the elements that might limit the mental performance. These performance enhancers or otherwise ergogenic aid provides the athletes with the mental advantage when contending. Steroids, as indicated as one of the types of ergogenic aid, makes up the above definition in the sense that is among the substances that are orally taken or injected to influence the body’s hormonal systems to produce extra testosterone, which triggers the increase in muscle mass. Additionally, Hoffman & Ratamess (2006) argue that the increase in testosterone manufacture encourage the protein synthesis leading to the muscle size, body weight, and strength that most athletes require winning a competition. According to the research conducted by Reardon and Creado (2014) indicate that most of the athletes sometimes uses these substances to cope with the various stressors, including the pressure to perform, physical pain, injuries, and the retirement in sports profession. However, most of them ignore the health consequences that may be caused by the use of ergogenic aids such as steroids.
Effects of Steroid use on Athletic Performance
The use of steroids has considerable influence on the athlete performance in the sense that they encourage an increase in the muscle size by both hypertrophy and the development of the new muscles fibers (Fontana, Campos, Staron, and da Cruz-Hofling, 2013). Fontana, Kerina et al. (2013) further argue that steroids are ingredients that have developed with the capacity for increasing muscle mass and strength required to win a physical competition. Separately, research conducted by Yu, Bonnerud, Eriksson, Stål, Tegner, & Malm (2014) scientifically indicates that the human skeletal muscle can correspond to the new endogenous and exogenous psychological demands by altering the phenotypic characteristics. Additionally, those athletes that use steroids presents significance increase in the frequency fibers that illustrates the development of myosin heavy chain isoforms, which are not present to the non-steroid users (Yu, Ji-Guo et al., 2014). Therefore, Yu, Ji-Guo et al. (2014) conclude that the use of steroids by the athletes provides a combination of strength and increase in the muscle mass due to the formation of the new muscles fibers, which increases the performance of an athlete (Yu, Ji-Guo et al., 2014) .
On the other hand, other scientific findings suggest that those athletes that use steroids presents high capillary density and myonuclei, great lean mass, and lower maximal squat as compared to non-steroid athletes (Fontana, Kerina et al., 2013). With the factors mentioned above, these athletes have additional characteristics such as high intensity with aerobic exercise caused by a significant increase in muscle. Additionally, these testosterone hormonal byproducts have many far-reaching impacts that include the increased nitrogen concentration in tissue. This is argued by Dandoy and Gereige that it, in turn, promotes an anabolic state; the agents inhibit the attaching of catabolic glucocorticoids to muscle, preserving muscle mass and limits its breakdown (Dandoy and Gereige, 2012). Moreover, steroids have additional effects such as violence and encourage sportspersons to train and push themselves extra harder. Clinically, the strength that is generated by the use of these performance enhancer substances tend to increase the force of up to 5-20 percent of the initial resistance and an increase in body mass weight of 2-3 kg, hence increases the ability of performance.
How Steroid differ from Human Growth Hormone
Saugy, M et al. (2006) define human growth hormone (hGH) as an evidently occurring peptide hormone that is created by the pituitary gland and majorly comprises of amino acids, supported by two disulfide bonds. On the other hand, steroids are described to be chemical substances used to enhance performance in the sense that they promote skeletal muscle growth and androgenic (Erotokritou-Mulligan, Holt, & Sönksen, 2011). One of the significant difference between human growth hormones and steroids is that hGH are found within the human body are mostly accountable for the growth and developmental, unlike steroids that are orally taken or injected to enhance and improve performance (Erotokritou-Mulligan, Holt, & Sönksen, 2011). Several types of research have indicated that many people have confused these two hormones in the sense that they are regarded as growth hormone, but they differ. Erotokritou-Mulligan, I et al. (2011) further argues that the purpose of hGH is to maintain the body composition, cardiovascular death in adults and children, physical performance, and well-being. While the primary role of steroids is to improve the performance and maintain the body protein that is required for muscle, skin, and bone development and growth.
Another difference between steroids and human growth hormone is the fact that hGH are bodily produced and, therefore, not addictive. However, steroids are not bodily produced and are additive (Saugy, M et al., 2006). Moreover, looking at the growth and development in children, steroids can put an end to the growth and development impulsively and other cardiovascular disorder. However, human growth hormone has little no effect on the development and growth (Erotokritou-Mulligan, I et al., 2011). Consequently, hGH has been generated and currently used in sports. It is significant in sports performance in that it increases the muscle bulk and strength in the active population. However, when this hormone is mixed with steroids and other varieties of ergogenic aids, it can lead to adverse health effects.
Medical Risk of Steroid Use
Hoffman & Ratamess (2006) posit that the use of steroids are associated with several medical complexities that range from the quantities that most of the athletes consume. For instance, it has been approved that the use of steroid is connected to the increased risk of myocardial infarction. In this case, that individual that uses these substances experience an infarct because this element affects the normal coronary arteriole function (Hoffman & Ratamess, 2006). On the other hand, when there is an absence of atherosclerosis within the body system of an athlete that uses steroid, the risk of sudden death may occur due to complications from cardiovascular. Other medical risks that may be caused by the use of steroids include the inflammation of brain and liver tumors and peliosis hepatitis. Additionally, Hoffman & Ratamess (2006) argues that steroids may lead to deterioration of collagen and hypothetically result in the reduction in stretchable strength.
In conclusion, it is quite clear that steroid use and other ergogenic aids have adverse health effects to human well-being particularly athletes. Empirical evidence, have shown that most of the individual's abuse steroids to boost their performance regardless of its side effects. The study has also provided the difference between human growth hormone and steroids. Therefore, it is recommended that future research should be conducted on adverse impacts of steroid and other varieties of ergogenic aids .
References
Dandoy, C., & Gereige, R. S. (2012). Performance-Enhancing Drugs. Pediatrics in Review , 33 (6), 265–272.
Erotokritou-Mulligan, I., Holt, R. I., & Sönksen, P. H. (2011). Growth hormone doping: a review. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine , 2 , 99–111. http://doi.org/10.2147/OAJSM.S11626
Fontana, K., Campos, G., Staron, R., Cruz-Hofling, M. A. (2013). Effects of Anabolic Steroids and High-Intensity Aerobic Exercise on Skeletal Muscle of Transgenic Mice. PLOS one Tenth Anniversary, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0080909
Hoffman, J. R., & Ratamess, N. A. (2006). Medical Issues Associated with Anabolic Steroid Use: Are They Exaggerated? Journal of Sports Science & Medicine , 5 (2), 182–193.
Reardon, C. L., & Creado, S. (2014). Drug abuse in athletes. Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation , 5 , 95–105. http://doi.org/10.2147/SAR.S53784
Roberts, A. R. (2010). Introduction to Ergogenic Aids: Human Movement and Health. The University of Western Sydney. Internet Resource.
Saugy, M., Robinson, N., Saudan, C., Baume, N., Avois, L., & Mangin, P. (2006). Human growth hormone doping in sport. British Journal of Sports Medicine , 40 (Suppl 1), i35–i39. http://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2006.027573
Yu, J.-G., Bonnerud, P., Eriksson, A., Stål, P. S., Tegner, Y., & Malm, C. (2014). Effects of Long-Term Supplementation of Anabolic Androgen Steroids on Human Skeletal Muscle. PLoS ONE , 9 (9), e105330. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0105330
