Dr. Weil on Steroids

[Guest guest]

Today's QuestionWhat's your opinion of steroids and protein drinks to enhance

performance?

 

-- Anonymous

Today's Answer(Published 09/05/1997)I'm opposed to the use of both kinds of

products.

Anabolic steroids are male sex hormones that increase protein metabolism, bone

density and muscle bulk. For some time now, male athletes and bodybuilders have

taken anabolic steroids to increase muscle bulk and enhance performance. In

fact, this practice is astonishingly common. Only five years ago, the Drug

Enforcement Administration made them controlled substances, thus ending legal

prescription. The promise of rapid development of big muscles and a powerful

body image is very seductive, especially for teens and young men.

In a study published July 4, 1996, in the New England Journal of Medicine, it

was reported that injections of testosterone (an anabolic steroid) added extra

muscle and strength in a group of 40 male bodybuilders. The New York Times

headline put it succinctly: " Testosterone=Big Muscles. " That's not news, really.

What's important to ask is: What's the downside?

And there's plenty to talk about. It has been widely accepted that steroids have

very significant effects on body chemistry and, over time, may interfere with

sexual function. They can reduce sexual potency and drive, and cause erratic

mood shifts. They also increase your risk of heart disease and high blood

pressure, with side effects including acne, baldness and abnormal liver

function. Women may experience masculinizing changes, such as a deepened voice

and increased facial hair. In fact, women were excluded from the recent study

because the potential side effects were seen as " unacceptable. "

Proponents of steroids say these adverse effects are rare. They will be

encouraged by the above-mentioned journal study, which also found no evidence

that steroids made the weight lifters more aggressive. I think it's important to

note that the study was conducted over a very short period of time (10 weeks)

and the dose of testosterone given was much lower than what bodybuilders usually

take. Overall, steroids unbalance the body's hormonal system and ultimately lead

to a weakening of the overall system in later life. High doses are thought to be

addictive.

As for protein supplements, I can see no reason to use them to enhance

performance. I've seen competitive bodybuilders who have developed liver

dysfunction as a result of force-feeding on protein. Excess consumption of

protein -- in any form -- puts an added workload on the digestive system, liver

and kidneys. Protein is not a very efficient fuel for the body. It takes more

energy to digest and metabolize, and it breaks down into toxic residues that the

liver and kidneys must handle. The breakdown products of protein metabolism also

can harm the immune system.

 

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