Including Weight Gain, Illegal Drugs and Doping, Creatine and Other Popular and Miscellaneous Supplements

Performance enhancing drugs and dietary supplements have been around since the ancient Olympic Games. Some substances have been banned by sports governing bodies such as the IOC, NFL, NCAA, etc. Ergogenic aids can be any substance, mechanical aid, or training method that improves sport performance.

The type of weight an athlete needs to gain is lean body mass (muscle mass). As a general rule, in order to gain weight you must consume more calories then you expend. The formula to gain one pound of muscle per week is your bodyweight x 20 = daily caloric needs. For example a 200 lb. football player would need require (200 x 20) 4000 calories per day. Gaining more than one pound per week results in increases in body fat. Strength training will use the extra calories to stimulate growth.

The two principal categories of performance enhancing substances are: – Hormones and the drugs that mimic their effect – Dietary supplements Dietary supplements are highly refined products that would not be confused with food. They have no positive nutritional value. Ergogenic substances are usually banned from athletic competition when a consensus is reached that they may provide an unfair advantage.

The most commonly used hormone to improve athletic performance is testosterone, along with its synthetic derivatives. Also, a variety of other hormones produced by the body have been employed by athletes as ergogenic aids to stimulate the testes to produce testosterone. Some synthetics may have anabolic properties themselves, like growth hormone for example.

Synthetic derivatives of the male sex hormone, testosterone. Elevations in testosterone concentrations stimulate protein synthesis, resulting in improvements in muscle size, body mass, and strength. The physiological effects that testosterone regulates have made it one of the drugs of choice for strength/power athletes or other athletes interested in increasing muscle mass.

Cardiovascular: lipid profile changes, elevated blood pressure, decrease myocardial function Endocrine: gynecomastia, decreased sperm count, testicular atrophy, impotence and transient infertility Genitourinary: – Males- decreased sperm count, decreased testicular size. – Females-menstrual irregularities, clitoromegaly, masculization. – Males and Females: Gynecomastia, libido changes Dermatological: acne, male pattern baldness. Hepatic: Increased risk of liver tumors and liver damage. Musculoskeletal: premature epiphyseal plate closure, increased risk of tendon tears, intramuscular abscess Psychological: mania, depression, aggression, mood swings.

 Secreted from the anterior pituitary gland.  HGH produced by the body stimulates bone and skeletal growth.  HGH maintains blood glucose levels, increasing the uptake of glucose and amino acids into muscle cells, and stimulating release of fatty acids from the fat cells.

 Before 1986 HGH was available only from cadavers forcing the cost to be extremely high and limiting its use.  Clinicians are now able to make HGH, but the cost is still relatively high on the black market, about $150 - $170 per dose.  The anabolic potential of HGH and its ability to reduce body fat have contributed to the rise in HGH use among athletes.  HGH is not studied for athletic populations because of ethical constraints

 Although growth hormone used as replacement therapy for people with growth hormone deficiency can be effective and can have minimal adverse consequences.  The doses that are likely used by athletes may pose a significant risk of acromegaly.  Acromegaly is a disfiguring disease characterized by a widening of the bone, arthritis, organ enlargement, and metabolic abnormalities.

 Naturally produced in the body by the kidneys and stimulates the production of new red blood cells.  Its level increases in response to aerobic endurance exercise such as marathon running.  Blood Doping: EPO has been used in endurance sports such as boxing, cycling, rowing, distance running and even horse racing.  The primary reason why athletes use EPO is to improve oxygen delivery to the muscles.

  Blockers: generally prescribed by cardiologists for the treatment of a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension. ◦ Used by archers and shooters to steady their nerves for shooting. Has other cardiovascular effects. ◦ Blockers impair cardiovascular response to exercise by reducing oxygen to exercising muscles.

Supplements are a quick fix. Athletes seek a quick fix because people are inherently lazy. The best tried and time proven method for muscle growth is HARD WORK, SOUND DIET, and REST. Some athletes follow a healthy lifestyle and take supplements and are successful, however, those same athletes would probably be successful regardless of whether they took supplements or not.

 Products containing ephedra, ehedrine, and their herbal forms can be dangerous.  There is a lot of misinformation regarding supplements because of muscle magazines and supplement catalogs.

Fitness magazines have anatomical figures, graphs, and tables that appear scientific, creating the illusion of credibility. These ads are not made to teach they are made to sell. The FDA does not control food supplements. Laws do not exist to protect the consumer. There is no guarantee that what is in listed on the label is in the bottle.

 Essential Amino Acids (EAA): not produced in the diet and must be obtained through the diet.  Essential amino acids include: isoleucine, leucine, valine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, and tryptophan.  Taking protein one hour before a workout and within 15 minutes of workout completion will cause a person to experience greater gains in muscle mass that training only.

 A nitrogenous organic compound that is synthesized naturally in the body, primarily in the liver.  It is found in abundance in both meat and fish.  Among high school athletes that use supplements, 90% use creatine.  A saturation limit for creatine exists within muscle. This has important implications for the “more is better” philosophy.  Creatine has been shown to increase strength and improve training by reducing fatigue and enhancing postworkout recovery.

 Caffeine: Used by aerobic and anaerobic athletes to increase alertness, reduce fatigue, increase confidence and even euphoria. ◦ Adverse Effects: anxiety, gastrointestinal disturbances, restlessness, insomnia, tremors, and heart arrhythmias.

 Ephedrine: Reported to have a strong thermogenic quality that bodybuilders desire in order to reduce body fat. Often stacked with caffeine. ◦ Adverse Effects: Ephedra, also called ma huang, is a plant or herb that contains ephedrine. In April 2004 the FDA banned all products containing ephedra. The FDA concluded that ephedra increased the incidence of nausea, vomiting, psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety and change in mood, autonomic hyperactivity, palpitations, and in a few cases death.