Experts say there can be serious side effects

Those using testosterone playing dangerous game // ATHLETICS: Experts say there can be serious side effects and suggest safe and legal alternatives.

July 29, 2006

By MIKE SCHWARTZ THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

Few substances ingested or injected by competitive athletes are surrounded by as much myth and misconception as testosterone.

Many young athletes may be unaware of the potentially serious consequences of taking performance-enhancing substances such as testosterone and growth hormone, said Dr. Robert E. Sallis, director of sports medicine at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fontana and president-elect of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Banned synthetic versions of testosterone are used by both sexes to enhance athletic performance.

Tour de France winner Floyd Landis, of Murrieta, tested positive for the agent during the grueling bicycle race and now faces losing his title unless a pending second test proves his innocence.

Inland doctors, athletic trainers, bodybuilders and nutritional supplement experts unanimously condemn the use of testosterone and similar anabolic steroids as risky “short cuts” that pose serious long-term health consequences.

“I’ve never taken anything like that,” said Karl Marshall, 77, a regular at the City Gym of Riverside and winner of the Masters Mr. America , Natural Olympia and Natural Universe titles, among many others. “But if I were a young guy today I probably couldn’t win the Teenage LA competition.

“No matter how genetically gifted you are, you can’t win if others who are similarly gifted are taking steroids.”

AN ANABOLIC STEROID

Testosterone is an anabolic steroid from the androgen group, mainly derived from cholesterol and secreted in the testes.

Athletes take synthetic testosterone in amounts far beyond that produced by the body to build more powerful muscles that recover and regenerate faster, allowing more difficult workouts that can lead to top competitive performance.

Doctors often prescribe testosterone in pill, injectable or topical cream or gel form to patients with low testosterone levels, decreased sexual desire or other conditions.

Testosterone must be coupled with strength training over weeks or months to gain a benefit, so it would make no sense to take it just before the 17th stage of the Tour de France, Sallis said.

“Amphetamines to keep awake and aggressive would be a better choice,” he said.

Because anabolic steroids are illegal and available only on the black market outside a doctor’s office, many people seek herbal alternatives in health food stores.

“I would say 80 percent of the people coming in looking for natural, legal testosterone boosters are middle-aged and older men, not athletes, who use it as a sexual stimulant,” said Lee Egan, manager of Clark’s Nutrition and Fitness Centers in Loma Linda. “They may be going through male menopause, and if this gives them a little extra energy boost or alertness without side effects, I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

OTHER HELP AVAILABLE

Humberto Aguero, manager of Max Muscle of Riverside at Central, said many safe strength-training, bodybuilding and endurance aids are available such as pro-hormones for fast muscle-building; X-Factor, which replaces arachidonic acid released by stretched muscles; and testosterone boosters such as tribulus terrestris, a plant that stimulates the body’s own natural production of the hormone.

“I’ve tried testosterone boosters and they work,” said Aguero, who is a bodybuilder. “They increase your strength, lean body mass and helps burn fat. Your sex drive also increases two- or three-fold.”

Non-doping athletes also take chain amino acids, a food-based supplement containing three specific proteins that rebuild muscle tissue.

“I have my clients take it with Gatorade while working out,” said Karla Adams, a Riverside-based personal athletic trainer and competitive marathon runner. “It’s excellent for endurance or weight training.”

Many endurance athletes also use Ensure, the nutrition drink popular with seniors.

Neither Adams nor her clients use steroids, she said.

“I tell them to do their best within their body’s own natural capabilities . . . and there is a lot you can do naturally.”

As for Landis, Sallis said he doesn’t believe the cyclist would be foolish enough to risk taking testosterone, which would offer him little or no benefit.

“When cyclists use performance-enhancing drugs they’re more likely to choose epogen, which stimulates red blood cell production, or blood doping, which raises their hemoglobin level and oxygen-carrying capacity,” he said.

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ANABOLIC STEROIDS: Athletes have powerful motivations to bulk up as well as strong reasons to avoid steroids.

Benefits: Athletes take synthetic testosterone far beyond natural levels to build more powerful muscles that can recover and regenerate faster, allowing more strenuous workouts and better performance.

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Health risks/side effects:

Hair loss, Aggressiveness, Voice change, Acne, Jaundice, High blood pressure, increased cholesterol level in blood, Weight gain, Liver toxicity, Blood clots

For men:

Shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, baldness, breast development

For women:

Facial hair growth, male-pattern baldness, changes in menstrual cycle, deepened voice

For adolescents:

Stunted growth

SOURCES: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE, BANTAM MEDICAL DICTIONARY

MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE AND THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE