Steroids Use in Professional Sports

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Steroids in Professional Sports Anabolic-Androgenic steroids are a synthetic steroid hormone that resembles testosterone in promoting the growth of muscle, which increases strength to help in an athlete’s sport. Attempts to increase testosterone go all the way back to the original Olympic Games. Steroids did not receive a great amount of attention until the 20th century. Since then, steroids have been prevalent in most all sports. Anabolic-Androgenic steroids have been found being used in the Olympics, FIFA, National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and some types of wrestling. These discoveries have led to many different types of regulations and testing in all of the sports we love to watch and enjoy. Because of the new testing, many professional athletes get caught for illegal use of steroids every year. Steroids today are most often a reference to anabolic steroids, also known as “roids”. A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a specific arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone. Anabolic steroids mimic the effect of the natural androgen, testosterone. Testosterone naturally increases male characteristics which initially arise at puberty, including but not limited to facial hair, body hair, muscle growth, deepening of the voice and aggression. Anabolic steroids were initially prescribed by doctors for medicinal use. Anabolic-Androgenic steroids, especially in the form of testosterone, were given to males with abnormal hormone levels or to induce puberty. Steroids may also be prescribed to help with bone growth and development and the loss of appetite. But as with all good things, moderation must be strictly enforced. One of the major

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