That led to use of the compounds first by bodybuilders and weightlifters and then by athletes in other sports.
In December 9, 1998 the Los Angeles Times reported about the use of androstenedione (andro) in the Major League Baseball. "Mark McGwire was one of, at least 100 professional Players who took andro."" (L.A.Times, December 9, 1998, pg. 8) A debatable issue came up. Andro can be purchased legally without a prescription through many commercial sources including health food stores. Because it can be purchased legally most athletes don't think it is a drug or an anabolic steroid that is the reason why they took it. The upcoming question is: If there are performance-enhancing supplements, why don't we ban every single kind? That way we could make sure every athlete will give a clear and not doped achievement.
I want to take a closer look at studies about the reasons why people use anabolic steroids, how they are used, what the health consequences are and how they can be detected. "One of the main reasons people give for abusing steroids is to improve their performance in sports. Among competitive bodybuilders, steroid abuse has been estimated to be very high. Among other athletes, the incidence of abuse probably varies depending on the specific sport. Another reason people give for taking steroids is to increase their muscle size and/or reduce their body fat. (N.I.D.A. why par 2) A.
According to the NIDA people who start taking anabolic steroids are psychologically not abnormal; continuing their drug abuse that changes in several cases for example into the muscle dysmorphia syndrome. In these special cases it is much harder for the drug abusers to stop. They don't see what the mirror is showing them, they see themselves as weak and small, sometimes even though they are very muscular. Some anabolic steroids are taken orally, others are injected intramuscularly, and still others are provided in gels or creams that are rubbed on the skin.
