As an athlete, I am always looking for an edge over the competition. With the advancements made in sports medicine, there are many options to get that “edge”. Protein supplements, creatine, androstenedione, anabolic steroids; many athletes, including myself, turn to one or more of these products for that edge. If an athlete is using these products, is it really the athlete performing, or is it the supplement? Through this paper, I will research the effects (positive and negative) of using these products, as well as determining whether or not each product should be allowed in organized competition.
Protein supplements are used by most athletes in the professional and collegiate level of sports, and by many athletes in the high school level. I take protein myself. Protein works by supplying more of the materials needed by your body to build and rebuild muscle. By increasing the amount of protein intake, you can decrease recovery time after a work-out. Protein also improves the results of recovery. It can make the muscles rebuild bigger and stronger than lifting alone. (J. Kawate 2002)
Research has shown that protein supplements have little or no negative side effects.
. . .
Heart attacks, water retention leading to high blood pressure and stroke, and liver and kidney tumors all are possible. Whether the athlete does it the fair, safe , and legal way by using products like protein supplements or creatine: or they use the extreme, dangerous, and illegal way by using androstenedione or anabolic steroids: they all want to be the best. The hormone's “anabolic” effect helps the body retain protein, which helps in the building of muscles. "I have regrets that I sold out to the system, that I was so gung-ho that I turned myself into a biochemical machine and complied with the win-at-all-costs directive. Some are athletes trying to increase their strength and size, others are young people attempting to speed up their growth to keep up with kids their age.
Some doctors believe it is safer for people to avoid creatine supplements altogether in favor of eating foods that contain the protein. Getting too much dietary creatine is not considered a risk because only small amounts of the protein are in food. It has been estimated that at least one in 15 male high school seniors in the United States (more than a half-million boys) has used steroids. The NCAA established testing in 1986. (Gale Group 2001) Creatine delays muscle fatigue by re-supplying muscles with ATP. The performance they deliver while on these supplements isn’t even theirs. They worked hard to get where they are.
Approximate Word count =
2163
Approximate Pages =
9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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