RSX-S
Board Supporter
- Awards
- 0
Use of Performance Enhancers by Teens in Spotlight
POSTED: 11:31 am EST February 15, 2005
UPDATED: 5:03 am EST February 17, 2005
ATLANTA -- A recent survey of high school students found that over 300,000 teens between 8th and 12th grade used steroids in 2003. While most teens use legal products, parents worry about supplements that can be trouble along with questioning why the youngsters started taking the supplements in the first place.
Meet Chandler Alford
Chandler Alford, 18, a freshman at Georgia Tech dreams in color. Specifically, gold.
Chandler Alford hopes to go to the Olympic Games one day.
For the past 5 years, Alford has been training and competing in weightlifting competitions around the globe, including Chile and other far-flung places.
He hopes his efforts will pay off one day with a bid to the Olympic Games.
Alford puts in several hours in the gym but has added vitamins and supplements to his routine outside the gym.
"I take creatine as a supplement because I don't get enough," he said, referring to the supplement that is a naturally occurring amino acid. "The reason it's important for us to take creatine, for me as a weightlifter, it's to help with the recovery process."
Experts say there has not been much risk for adults who use creatine but the supplement's effects on children has not been studied as much.
Alford said he did his own research into the supplement before deciding to add it to his routine, speaking to his parents, coaches and doctors.
"From that we were able to conclude that what I would take at a certain amount is perfectly healthy," he said.
The use of creatine by health-conscious exercisers has surged over the past 10 years, jumping from $50 million in 1996 to nearly $1 billion in 2002. Teens accounted for a significant portion of those sales, experts say.
Lee Spencer, owner of Sprayberry Health and Nutrition Center in Marietta, sells creatine at his store but does not necessarily like the idea of youngsters buying it.
"Generally, we don't recommend creatine for kids under the age of 18 just because we don't know how it's going to effect their growing body," he said.
There are hundreds of kinds of supplements sold on store shelves, the Internet and out of gym bags. The products can be used for just about anything but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the products or their claims.
That is why Dr. John Xerogeanes, a member of the Emory University sports team, said the decision to take supplements should be well thought out.
"They can sell anything as a supplement, and you don't know what they are getting," he said. "So they can be extremely dangerous compounds."
Some physicians also worry about a condition known as muscle dismorphia, a psychological diagnosis for young people who aren't athletes but who nevertheless take supplements to build an athlete's body.
Alford said taking supplements for recreation will not do any good for those who don't hit the gym.
"Even if you're not an athlete and you just want to do it to look good that's just plain stupid," he said.
A more potent class of supplements is easily available to those who want them. Steroids, which are illegal in the United States, and the people who use them has been the subject of an enormous amount of study.
Alford said he would never use steroids because that would be cheating.
Steroids Gain in Popularity Thanks to Pro Athletes
While Alford believes using steroids is tantamount to cheating, some professional athletes routinely use performance enhancing supplements.
The revelation that baseball player Mark McGuire used the supplement known as Andro while setting a home run record in 1998 made the substance nearly as famous as he was.
But the extra scrutiny the supplement received in the ensuing uproar prompted regulators to outlaw andostenedione. Moreover, officials with Major League Baseball have clamped down on the use of steroids by its players.
Tom Glavine, a former pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, contends that the issue has been a black cloud over the sport.
"It became a bigger issue," he said. "An issue that we all understood threatened the credibility of the game and also threatened our fan base."
Nick Green, the infield for the Braves, said he hopes parents can turn the headlines into lessons.
"I just hope that the parents are there to tell the kid what's right and what's wrong," he said. "They look up to us, but not everybody does the right things."
The U.S. Congress added Andro to the list of controlled substances in 2003, meaning it should have been immediately pulled from store shelves.
But the substance was taken off the shelves just two weeks ago when the law took effect.
Athletes are always looking for an edge over other players. But players should be wary of advisors who bear gifts.
Cecil Flowe, the football coach at Parkview High School, said one recent trend has been for players to hire personal trainers. He advises his players to be wary of handouts.
"If you want a personal trainer (that's) fine," he said. "To the point that the personal trainer says, 'Here, this will help you' bring me that stuff cause I want to analyze it."
Gwinnett County schools have a policy that forbids coaches from offering performance enhancers or supplements to student players.
But coaches know they are easy to find.
Thanks to the Internet, many young athletes can order steroids online. But officials warn that the supplement's authenticity can not be guaranteed.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 6 percent of teens tried steroids in 2003, compared to less than 3 percent in 1991.
The proliferation of the drugs could spur changes on school campuses. Flowe predicts that Georgia high school athletes could be forced to undergo random drug testing.
"There are too many kids that are dropping over dead for the state not to look at it and say this is not an invasion of privacy," he said.
The Mayo Clinic has a list of recommendations that parents can do to ensure that their children don't become steroid abusers, including:
Educate yourself. Learn what policies your teen's coach and school have in place regarding the use of performance enhancers.
Be clear about expectations. Explain that long-term effects of steroids are not fully understood and that you expect your teen to avoid them. Make no exceptions and teach your teen that short-term gains may lead to long-term problems.
Discuss the ethics of fair play and explain that the use of performance enhancers is similar to cheating. Also explain that a healthy diet and proper physical training are key to athletic prowess. Point out the downsides of using steroids, such as acne.
Talk with your teen's coaches. Make sure they know you don't approve of performance enhancers, and learn what their position is on the issue. You may want to contact your school district's athletic director.
Monitor what your teen buys, particularly on the Internet, and know which over-the-counter medicines your teen is using. Check the ingredients.
Channel 2 Action News producer Chris Cantergiani contributed to this report."
Here is the link to the Article. There is a link to videos on that website. http://www.wsbtv.com/specialassignments/4199796/detail.html
I can't believe how much time they spent talking about creatine like its a bad thing. Its getting typical of the media about these reports. Sickening.
POSTED: 11:31 am EST February 15, 2005
UPDATED: 5:03 am EST February 17, 2005
ATLANTA -- A recent survey of high school students found that over 300,000 teens between 8th and 12th grade used steroids in 2003. While most teens use legal products, parents worry about supplements that can be trouble along with questioning why the youngsters started taking the supplements in the first place.
Meet Chandler Alford
Chandler Alford, 18, a freshman at Georgia Tech dreams in color. Specifically, gold.
Chandler Alford hopes to go to the Olympic Games one day.
For the past 5 years, Alford has been training and competing in weightlifting competitions around the globe, including Chile and other far-flung places.
He hopes his efforts will pay off one day with a bid to the Olympic Games.
Alford puts in several hours in the gym but has added vitamins and supplements to his routine outside the gym.
"I take creatine as a supplement because I don't get enough," he said, referring to the supplement that is a naturally occurring amino acid. "The reason it's important for us to take creatine, for me as a weightlifter, it's to help with the recovery process."
Experts say there has not been much risk for adults who use creatine but the supplement's effects on children has not been studied as much.
Alford said he did his own research into the supplement before deciding to add it to his routine, speaking to his parents, coaches and doctors.
"From that we were able to conclude that what I would take at a certain amount is perfectly healthy," he said.
The use of creatine by health-conscious exercisers has surged over the past 10 years, jumping from $50 million in 1996 to nearly $1 billion in 2002. Teens accounted for a significant portion of those sales, experts say.
Lee Spencer, owner of Sprayberry Health and Nutrition Center in Marietta, sells creatine at his store but does not necessarily like the idea of youngsters buying it.
"Generally, we don't recommend creatine for kids under the age of 18 just because we don't know how it's going to effect their growing body," he said.
There are hundreds of kinds of supplements sold on store shelves, the Internet and out of gym bags. The products can be used for just about anything but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the products or their claims.
That is why Dr. John Xerogeanes, a member of the Emory University sports team, said the decision to take supplements should be well thought out.
"They can sell anything as a supplement, and you don't know what they are getting," he said. "So they can be extremely dangerous compounds."
Some physicians also worry about a condition known as muscle dismorphia, a psychological diagnosis for young people who aren't athletes but who nevertheless take supplements to build an athlete's body.
Alford said taking supplements for recreation will not do any good for those who don't hit the gym.
"Even if you're not an athlete and you just want to do it to look good that's just plain stupid," he said.
A more potent class of supplements is easily available to those who want them. Steroids, which are illegal in the United States, and the people who use them has been the subject of an enormous amount of study.
Alford said he would never use steroids because that would be cheating.
Steroids Gain in Popularity Thanks to Pro Athletes
While Alford believes using steroids is tantamount to cheating, some professional athletes routinely use performance enhancing supplements.
The revelation that baseball player Mark McGuire used the supplement known as Andro while setting a home run record in 1998 made the substance nearly as famous as he was.
But the extra scrutiny the supplement received in the ensuing uproar prompted regulators to outlaw andostenedione. Moreover, officials with Major League Baseball have clamped down on the use of steroids by its players.
Tom Glavine, a former pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, contends that the issue has been a black cloud over the sport.
"It became a bigger issue," he said. "An issue that we all understood threatened the credibility of the game and also threatened our fan base."
Nick Green, the infield for the Braves, said he hopes parents can turn the headlines into lessons.
"I just hope that the parents are there to tell the kid what's right and what's wrong," he said. "They look up to us, but not everybody does the right things."
The U.S. Congress added Andro to the list of controlled substances in 2003, meaning it should have been immediately pulled from store shelves.
But the substance was taken off the shelves just two weeks ago when the law took effect.
Athletes are always looking for an edge over other players. But players should be wary of advisors who bear gifts.
Cecil Flowe, the football coach at Parkview High School, said one recent trend has been for players to hire personal trainers. He advises his players to be wary of handouts.
"If you want a personal trainer (that's) fine," he said. "To the point that the personal trainer says, 'Here, this will help you' bring me that stuff cause I want to analyze it."
Gwinnett County schools have a policy that forbids coaches from offering performance enhancers or supplements to student players.
But coaches know they are easy to find.
Thanks to the Internet, many young athletes can order steroids online. But officials warn that the supplement's authenticity can not be guaranteed.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 6 percent of teens tried steroids in 2003, compared to less than 3 percent in 1991.
The proliferation of the drugs could spur changes on school campuses. Flowe predicts that Georgia high school athletes could be forced to undergo random drug testing.
"There are too many kids that are dropping over dead for the state not to look at it and say this is not an invasion of privacy," he said.
The Mayo Clinic has a list of recommendations that parents can do to ensure that their children don't become steroid abusers, including:
Educate yourself. Learn what policies your teen's coach and school have in place regarding the use of performance enhancers.
Be clear about expectations. Explain that long-term effects of steroids are not fully understood and that you expect your teen to avoid them. Make no exceptions and teach your teen that short-term gains may lead to long-term problems.
Discuss the ethics of fair play and explain that the use of performance enhancers is similar to cheating. Also explain that a healthy diet and proper physical training are key to athletic prowess. Point out the downsides of using steroids, such as acne.
Talk with your teen's coaches. Make sure they know you don't approve of performance enhancers, and learn what their position is on the issue. You may want to contact your school district's athletic director.
Monitor what your teen buys, particularly on the Internet, and know which over-the-counter medicines your teen is using. Check the ingredients.
Channel 2 Action News producer Chris Cantergiani contributed to this report."
Here is the link to the Article. There is a link to videos on that website. http://www.wsbtv.com/specialassignments/4199796/detail.html
I can't believe how much time they spent talking about creatine like its a bad thing. Its getting typical of the media about these reports. Sickening.