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WHERE DO THEY GET THESE PENCIL NECKED, KNOW-NOTHING, CHICKEN LITTLE "EXPERTS"?!?!?!?!?!?! 
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Sports Supplements Add Muscle -- And Unknown Problems
Sports supplements may be a quick fix to add muscle, speed and bulk. But physicians at the University of Michigan Health System say there's no telling what the long-term effects of over-the-counter powders and pills will be on the body.
"A major problem with many supplements is the fact that they're not controlled by the government," says Edward Wojtys, M.D., director of the U-M Health System's MedSport and associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at the U-M Medical School. "So, many times when you buy something off the shelf, you really don't know what you're putting into your body. And to me, that's very scary."
Athletes using steroids or hormones to add muscle are playing an even more dangerous game with their health, Wojtys says. And concerns are growing. One alarming study reported that adolescent use of steroids is on the rise, according to The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
Sports enhancers, or ergogenics, include everything from steroids, to hormones and supplements. They are substances that can improve athletic performance and make muscles work more efficiently.
"The over-the-counter supplements can be as dangerous as a controlled substance," Wojtys says. "It's important to recognize, that many of these things have not been studied adequately. We don't have long term studies on what they do to the body. So it really is a little bit like Russian Roulette."
As athletes prepare for the fall sports season, coaches, parents and friends should keep an eye out for the signs of sports supplement use.
"When you see an athlete who gains 20 pounds of muscle-mass very quickly, over a couple months in the summer, while that doesn't have to be steroid use, it certainly could be," Wojtys says. "And if there's any doubt, a physician's exam and a drug test would be the way to go."
Wojtys says he and his colleagues regularly see patients who use Creatine, a legal substance sold at many health product stores. Some studies show that under the right conditions Creatine can augment muscle function and improve performance.
"The problem with Creatine is we have only short-term knowledge of what it does," Wojtys says. "What something like Creatine will do to an athlete in the long term is completely unknown." One of the more recent studies on Creatine shows alarming results. When Creatine is processed by the body, it forms formaldehyde, a very toxic substance, often used as a preservative, that can damage everything from artery walls to muscle, Wojtys says.
U-M physicians also see patients who use Glucosamine and Chondroitin, also legal substances found at health food stores. Those are often used by older people to protect joints, damaged knees and shoulders. Based on what researchers know so far, Glucosamine and Chondroitin won't do any harm to the body.
"The bad news is there is little to no documented benefit to using them," Wojtys says.
It's a well-known fact that, if bulging muscles are the goal, steroids will do the job. "The problem is you have to balance the risks versus the benefits," Wojtys says. "If you look at the risks of long-term steroid use, it's unbelievable how dangerous it is. There are very few people who would choose that route knowing what they're up against."
In addition to muscle building, steroids can cause other side effects, which include altered hair growth patterns throughout the body and acne or other cosmetic problems. They can also cause a significant change in a person's voice.
"And keep in mind that for males, some of these side effects are reversible after short term use, but in females, it's thought that most of these effects are not reversible," Wojtys says. "Now with long term use, we're more worried about liver problems and, in particular, cardiovascular system problems."
Individuals who use steroids for prolonged periods of time may also show behavioral changes. That's one of the reasons that steroids were initially used by athletes -- to induce rage and cause an intensely competitive and fierce reaction.
Human growth hormone, another substance used by athletes to increase muscle bulk, is just as dangerous -- if not more dangerous -- than steroids.
"There are legitimate uses of growth hormone, but the potential side effects are very, very, very concerning and therefore, monitoring by a physician any time it's being used is rule No. 1," Wojtys says. "Growth hormone, while it's a natural substance, is only found in your body in limited amounts and to mess with that very delicate balance is not a good idea."
If an athlete really wants to get an edge, they should talk to their doctor or speak with a nutritionist who can help them maximize their potential in terms of muscle development.
"There's a lot that can be done to improve what you do naturally such as eating good, natural foods," Wojtys says. "You can also find what types of workouts are going to be tolerated best and how to get the most out of yourself so that you can live to your highest potential. That's the safest way to do it."
Wojtys says that coaches and parents should make sure young people understand the potential long-term consequences of using sports supplements.
"For young kids, I think the thing to keep in mind is that, one day, your athletic career is going to end, and when that ends, you still need your body," Wojtys says. "If you've destroyed it by using substances that have changed that metabolism and the hormonal balance, you're the one that's going to be stuck living with that body for the rest of your life." - By Valerie Gliem
Facts about sports supplements:
Physicians prescribe steroids for people with specific medical conditions.
Illegal steroids are made overseas and smuggled into the United States or are made underground in this country. They pose greater health risks because they are not regulated by the government and may not be pure or labeled correctly.
A 1999 National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded study estimated that 2.7 percent of 8th- and 10th-graders and 2.9 percent of 12th-graders had taken anabolic steroids at least once in their lives. For all three grades, the 1999 levels represent a significant increase from 1991.
THE LEVEL OF STUPIDITY IN THIS ARTICLE AND THIS "DR" IS SO VAST I HARDLY KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN!
________________________________________
Sports Supplements Add Muscle -- And Unknown Problems
Sports supplements may be a quick fix to add muscle, speed and bulk. But physicians at the University of Michigan Health System say there's no telling what the long-term effects of over-the-counter powders and pills will be on the body.
"A major problem with many supplements is the fact that they're not controlled by the government," says Edward Wojtys, M.D., director of the U-M Health System's MedSport and associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at the U-M Medical School. "So, many times when you buy something off the shelf, you really don't know what you're putting into your body. And to me, that's very scary."
Athletes using steroids or hormones to add muscle are playing an even more dangerous game with their health, Wojtys says. And concerns are growing. One alarming study reported that adolescent use of steroids is on the rise, according to The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
Sports enhancers, or ergogenics, include everything from steroids, to hormones and supplements. They are substances that can improve athletic performance and make muscles work more efficiently.
"The over-the-counter supplements can be as dangerous as a controlled substance," Wojtys says. "It's important to recognize, that many of these things have not been studied adequately. We don't have long term studies on what they do to the body. So it really is a little bit like Russian Roulette."
As athletes prepare for the fall sports season, coaches, parents and friends should keep an eye out for the signs of sports supplement use.
"When you see an athlete who gains 20 pounds of muscle-mass very quickly, over a couple months in the summer, while that doesn't have to be steroid use, it certainly could be," Wojtys says. "And if there's any doubt, a physician's exam and a drug test would be the way to go."
Wojtys says he and his colleagues regularly see patients who use Creatine, a legal substance sold at many health product stores. Some studies show that under the right conditions Creatine can augment muscle function and improve performance.
"The problem with Creatine is we have only short-term knowledge of what it does," Wojtys says. "What something like Creatine will do to an athlete in the long term is completely unknown." One of the more recent studies on Creatine shows alarming results. When Creatine is processed by the body, it forms formaldehyde, a very toxic substance, often used as a preservative, that can damage everything from artery walls to muscle, Wojtys says.
U-M physicians also see patients who use Glucosamine and Chondroitin, also legal substances found at health food stores. Those are often used by older people to protect joints, damaged knees and shoulders. Based on what researchers know so far, Glucosamine and Chondroitin won't do any harm to the body.
"The bad news is there is little to no documented benefit to using them," Wojtys says.
It's a well-known fact that, if bulging muscles are the goal, steroids will do the job. "The problem is you have to balance the risks versus the benefits," Wojtys says. "If you look at the risks of long-term steroid use, it's unbelievable how dangerous it is. There are very few people who would choose that route knowing what they're up against."
In addition to muscle building, steroids can cause other side effects, which include altered hair growth patterns throughout the body and acne or other cosmetic problems. They can also cause a significant change in a person's voice.
"And keep in mind that for males, some of these side effects are reversible after short term use, but in females, it's thought that most of these effects are not reversible," Wojtys says. "Now with long term use, we're more worried about liver problems and, in particular, cardiovascular system problems."
Individuals who use steroids for prolonged periods of time may also show behavioral changes. That's one of the reasons that steroids were initially used by athletes -- to induce rage and cause an intensely competitive and fierce reaction.
Human growth hormone, another substance used by athletes to increase muscle bulk, is just as dangerous -- if not more dangerous -- than steroids.
"There are legitimate uses of growth hormone, but the potential side effects are very, very, very concerning and therefore, monitoring by a physician any time it's being used is rule No. 1," Wojtys says. "Growth hormone, while it's a natural substance, is only found in your body in limited amounts and to mess with that very delicate balance is not a good idea."
If an athlete really wants to get an edge, they should talk to their doctor or speak with a nutritionist who can help them maximize their potential in terms of muscle development.
"There's a lot that can be done to improve what you do naturally such as eating good, natural foods," Wojtys says. "You can also find what types of workouts are going to be tolerated best and how to get the most out of yourself so that you can live to your highest potential. That's the safest way to do it."
Wojtys says that coaches and parents should make sure young people understand the potential long-term consequences of using sports supplements.
"For young kids, I think the thing to keep in mind is that, one day, your athletic career is going to end, and when that ends, you still need your body," Wojtys says. "If you've destroyed it by using substances that have changed that metabolism and the hormonal balance, you're the one that's going to be stuck living with that body for the rest of your life." - By Valerie Gliem
Facts about sports supplements:
Physicians prescribe steroids for people with specific medical conditions.
Illegal steroids are made overseas and smuggled into the United States or are made underground in this country. They pose greater health risks because they are not regulated by the government and may not be pure or labeled correctly.
A 1999 National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded study estimated that 2.7 percent of 8th- and 10th-graders and 2.9 percent of 12th-graders had taken anabolic steroids at least once in their lives. For all three grades, the 1999 levels represent a significant increase from 1991.
THE LEVEL OF STUPIDITY IN THIS ARTICLE AND THIS "DR" IS SO VAST I HARDLY KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN!
