Drug & Nutritional Supplement Information
Steroids
What are steroids?
Anabolic steroids are synthetic versions of the male hormone testosterone. At normal body levels, testosterone triggers the onset of male secondary sexual characteristics during puberty and boosts muscle development and growth. Used medically to supplement normal hormone levels after injury or disease, steroids are also used illegally by athletes and others to increase muscle mass and to reduce body fat.
What action do steroids have in the body?
Steroids spark explosive physical changes. Included in these rapid changes are an increase in weight gain and lean body mass, enhanced endurance and a decrease in the recovery time after injury.
Psychological effects can include euphoria (a feeling of well being or elation), increased motivation, and improved self-image. These effects may seem all nice and dandy but they are coupled with effects of higher levels of aggression, violent outbursts, and extreme mood swings.
What are the risks or side effects associated with steroid use?
Steroid use can cause side effects such as acne, excessive hair loss or growth, and decreased emotional control. Male users can exhibit testicular atrophy (shrinking of the testes), and breast enlargement. Female users can experience masculinization and menstrual irregularities. In the long term, steroids can cause irreversible liver damage and cancer.
Creatine
The discovery of Creatine
A French scientist named Chevruel discovered Creatine in 1835. His experiment identified a naturally occurring substance found in meat, which he named Creatine after the Greek word for flesh. Later experiments by Leiberg, found that the substance could be consistently found in muscle tissue extracted from mammals. Additional studies by Leiberg found that levels of this Creatine substance were ten times higher in wild animals than in their captive counterparts, which lead Leiberg to conclude that the amount of Creatine was linked to the amount of exercise of the species. From these studies, scientists have drawn up several accepted conclusions, including that Creatine is present in animal tissue and the levels present are directly related to the amount of exercise. Since the discovery of these essential concepts, many more studies have been conducted to determine the exact
effects of Creatine.
What is Creatine?
Creatine is produced naturally in the body by the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. On average, mammals produce two to three grams of Creatine per day. Creatine is made from three amino acids; glycine, arginine, and methionine, which when combined in a specific process, produce Creatine. Creatine can be found in two different forms; the free form, constituting approximately one third of all Creatine found in the body, and the phosphroylated form, which constitutes the remaining two thirds. Once formed, the substance is transferred to the muscle tissue via the bloodstream.
How is Creatine obtained?
In addition to synthesizing the substance, the body can obtain Creatine through two other methods. The first is through consuming foods that contain the substance. Fish, beef, and pork contain the highest amounts of Creatine but to receive the highest amount of the substance the meat must be eaten somewhat rare. The cooking process destroys most of the Creatine found in the tissue. The second method for obtaining Creatine is through Creatine supplementation, which has been the most popular and most successful method thus far. Creatine supplements are synthesized in a laboratory setting from elements found in plants and animals.
Is there an increase in consumption among athletes?
The answer to that question is yes. This natural substance, when taken in larger amounts, has been shown to have effects on the human body.
Athletes in the United Kingdom have been taking the substance since the early 1980's, but its effects became known world wide with the debut of it at the 1992 Olympics. In Barcelona, two British sprinters attributed their gold medals to the substance, and in 1996 at the Olympics in Atlanta, several United States sprinters also praised its benefits. Since that period there has been a steady increase in the number of top level athletes who regularly take the supplement. Today some of the most popular athletes including John Elway, Troy Aikman, Brady Anderson, Mark McGuire, and Sammy Sosa, claim that supplementing their normal exercise routine with Creatine has increased their performance to a level unaccomplishable through normal exercise.
How does Creatine benefit the body?
The first way is through Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) regeneration. ATP, the energy source for the body, gives muscles the ability to contract. Once used ATP turns into Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) which when combined with another phosphate becomes ATP again. This is where Creatine is so beneficial. The phosphorylated form of Creatine, Crphos, lends its phosphorus to ADP to regenerate into ATP. Having an increased amount of Creatine in the body aids in the regeneration of ATP.
Stated plainly, it helps muscles recuperate quickly from a period of use making it helpful to athletes who specialize in sprints and quick bursts of activity. It has not been shown to be helpful to endurance athletes. Sports such as swimming, sprinting, football, and weightlifting, where the athlete is called upon to gather their energy, use it quickly, and then stop, is where Creatine has been proven to be helpful. Athletes who take the substance are able to rest and perform again much more quickly due to the rapid regeneration of their energy source, ATP.
When is Creatine most beneficial?
Studies have shown that in conjunction with a continued exercise program an athlete who takes 20 grams of Creatine a day for five days followed by a maintenance schedule of five grams per day can have as much as a five percent increase in performance during maximal exercise. However, this might be due solely to an increase in effort while exercising. It is important to note that while supplementing one's diet with Creatine it is essential to increase the amount of water consumed to at least a gallon of water per day while loading. If an insufficient amount of water is consumed while taking the supplement it could lead to an increase of injuries because Creatine supplementation has been shown to deplete the muscles of their water.
What are the dangers of taking Creatine?
There is evidence to show that there is a link to the increase in muscle strains and pulls and the consumption of Creatine as a nutritional supplement. Several sports teams and governing bodies have banned their athletes from taking Creatine simply because if not taken properly Creatine can harm the athlete more than it can help them. The major concerns regarding the short-term use of creatine supplement are the dehydration and muscle dysfunction. Creatine draws fluid into the muscles, taking it away from the vital organs, athletes using creatine may dehydrate much more quickly than other athletes, predisposing them to serious heat illness. The combination of creatine supplementaion, high heat, and high humidity could be deadly!
The biggest problem with Creatine is that as a nutritional supplement it is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. This exempts it from all of the rules that govern food and drug products. As a result not much is known about Creatine and its potential side or long term effects. In addition, makers of the substance are not required to list the contents of the package on the label for distribution. This has resulted in a number of companies distributing impure Creatine, choosing to add other chemicals and substances. A potential buyer has no way of knowing whether the Creatine they are buying is actually 100% Creatine.
Besides not being able to tell if consumers are actually getting what they think they are getting, they run the risk of taking a substance which has not been proven to be safe for human consumption. Although many distributors of Creatine claim that there is plenty of evidence to show that it is safe to take regularly and over a long period of time there just isn't any evidence to support this. There has been evidence to show that Creatine can cause muscle cramps, strains, and pulls, in addition to dehydration, weight gain, and stomach discomfort. These are only the proven short term effects. Who knows if there are more short-term effects that have yet to be discovered? Also, Creatine has not been in use long enough to determine if it can be harmful after ten, twenty, or more years of use. Athletes who take the substance to increase their performance today may very well pay
for it later. In the majority of professional sport teams' opinions this is a risk that they are not willing to take. Surveys show that over 85% of professional sport teams discourage their team members from taking Creatine, some going as far as prohibiting them from taking the substance. To them the limited benefits are not worth the risk of serious health problems at some point in the future.
Perhaps the biggest concern with Creatine consumption is that today an increasing number of high school athletes are supplementing their exercise routines with Creatine. Some say that it is because they see the top athletes taking it and succeeding, but what they don't realize is that there is so little known about Creatine that they are literally gambling with their health. Something that should be of concern is that there seems to be a trend of high school coaches recommending and distributing the supplement to their players even though the effects of it are unknown. What happens if Creatine is found to be harmful and high school athletes have received the substance from their coach? Could this open the school up to a new area of liability?
What is the Law?
Due to the uncertainty regarding its benefits and hazards, Creatine should not be distributed or encouraged for consumption by high school coaches to their athletes. A recent law passed in Texas, House Bill 3420, prohibits any public school employee from distributing, selling, or marketing any performance-enhancing compound to athletes ( See copy of bill on page 9). In addition, some people believe Creatine should be illegal and tested for, as are Steroids. If more was known about Creatine and it's potential benefits or side effects then perhaps we could take a different stand on the issue. However, since the FDA cannot recommend Creatine for human consumption and since there is no conclusive data to support positive arguments for the substance why gamble with your health and your future? The only possible benefit of Creatine is an increase in performance by a maximum
of 5%. This 5% could be due to increased physical activity and not a result of Creatine itself.
Androstenedione
What is Androstenedione? Androstenedione, often called "andro" for short, is a nutritional supplement that can be purchased over-the-counter by anyone, of any age. It is a steroid compound also found naturally in the body. In the body Androstenedione is converted to the primary male sex hormone, testosterone, as well as to the primary female sex hormone, estrogens (estradiol and estrone).
What does Androstenedione do for the body?
Synthetically produced Androstenedione is classified as a steroid, although it has no muscle building effects on its own. However, when converted into testosterone by the liver, Androstenedione can raise the body's testosterone levels sixteen times higher than normal, allowing athletes to train harder and recover from exercise more quickly.
Why use Androstenedione?
The primary reason athletes use Androstenedione is to increase overall strength and/or the ability to do repetitive, intense, short-term work. Athletes in sports where strength, sprint speed, or the ability to do repeated and intense bouts of activity are the most likely to use this substance. Some of these sports might include football, hockey, and track and field events like the shot put, discus, javelin, and shorter sprints. Soccer and basketball players may also see benefits to increasing their size, strength, and ability to do repeated intense, short-term bursts of activity. Wrestlers may desire the increase in strength and ability to do intense, short-term bouts of activity, but not the increase in body mass. There are also some special risks of using these substances when trying to lose weight. Endurance sport athletes would probably benefit little or be hampered by
increased body mass or strength. The added body mass could more than offset any increase in intense, short-term efforts.
What are the effects of using Androstenedione?
Since Androstenedione can be synthesized into testosterone, one can probably assume that the short-term and long-term risks are similar to other androgenic-anabolic steroids. Anabolic-androgenic steroid use can affect the liver and the cardiovascular system as well as the reproductive system. Liver function can be damaged, resulting in jaundice, blood-filled cysts, and tumors (including those that are cancerous). Blood cholesterol levels often increase because steroid use changes how sugars and fats are handled. This and increased blood pressure can lead to the early development of heart disease, which can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. For males, production of naturally occurring hormones, like testosterone, may be decreased. This may result in shrinking of the testes, low sperm counts, and infertility. Because anabolic-androgenic steroids are
derivative of male hormones, female users may take on more male-like characteristics, such as broader backs, wider shoulders, thicker waists, flatter chests, more body and facial hair and deeper voices. Menstrual cycles may become irregular or stop. Steroids may also affect muscles and other parts of the musculoskeletal system. Tendons and ligaments may not strengthen at the same rate the muscle tissue develops. As a result, these tissues appear to be injured more often among steroid users. Also, for adolescent athletes, steroid use may cause the growth plates in long bones to close faster than usual, which can result in lower height. Oily skin and acne are also common among steroid users. Some users experience dramatic mood swings. Anxiety, irritability, aggressiveness, and impulsiveness may occur.
Androstenedione use is banned by the NCAA, NFL, and the International Olympic Committee because users risk the same long-term damage associated with anabolic steroids. The Association of Professional Physicians, an organization of team physicians from professional sport teams, has stated, " Despite how manufactures try to position androstenedione as a natural substance, it is still an anabolic steroid." Simply put, its chemical structure is that of a steroid.
Remember the law: House Bill 3420, prohibits any public school employee from distributing, selling, or marketing any performance-enhancing compound to athletes.
The University Interscholastic League discourages the use of any performing enhancing substances by their participants.
Other Dangerous Substances
There is a concern about the use and misuse of some dietary supplements and other products containing gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), gamma butyrolactone (GBL), and 1,4 butanedoil (BD). It is illegal to manufacture and distribute GHB, GBL, or BD for human consumption. More than 122 serious illness and three deaths have been reported as a result of using products containing these ingredients. In 1990, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of GHB but some companies switched ingredients to GBL, and after warnings about GBL, some switched to BD.
These ingredients can be found in numerous dietary supplements for bodybuilding, weight loss, and sleep aids. They have been linked to deaths and severe sickness requiring hospitalization.
What are BD, GBL, and GHB used for?
BD, GBL, and GHB are used to make floor stripper, paint thinner, and other industrial products. The Food and Drug Administration determined that dietary supplements containing these chemicals are really unapproved drugs because of the effect they have on the body. It is illegal to sell anything for human consumption that contains GHB, GBL, or BD.
What can GBL, GHB, or BD cause?
These ingredients can cause breathing problems, a coma, vomiting, seizures and sometimes death. GHB, GBL, and BD also increase the effects of alcohol and are even more dangerous when taken along with other drugs.
For more information regarding these substances contact the Drug Information Branch at 1-888-INFO-FDA.
State Law
STATE LAW AN ACT relating to prohibiting certain actions by school district employees concerning dietary supplements that contain performance enhancing compounds providing a criminal penalty.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 38, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 38.011 to read as follows:
Sec. 38.011. DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS.
a A school district employee may not:
1 knowingly sell, market, or distribute a dietary supplement that contains performance enhancing compounds to a primary or secondary education student with whom the employee has contact as part of the employee's school district duties; or
2 knowingly endorse or suggest the ingestion, intranasal application, or inhalation of a dietary supplement that contains performance enhancing compounds by a primary or secondary education student with whom the employee has contact as part of the employee's school district duties.
b This section does not prohibit a school district employee from:
1 providing or endorsing a dietary supplement that contains performance enhancing compounds to, or suggesting the ingestion, intranasal application, or inhalation of a dietary supplement that contains performance enhancing compounds by, the employee's child; or
2 selling, marketing, or distributing a dietary supplement that contains performance enhancing compounds to, or endorsing or suggesting the ingestion, intranasal application, or inhalation of a dietary supplement that contains performance enhancing compounds by, a primary or secondary education student as part of activities that:
A do not occur on school property or at a school-related function;
B are entirely separate from any aspect of the employee's employment with the school district; and
C do not in any way involve information about or contacts with students that the employee has had access to, directly or indirectly, through any aspect of the employee's employment with the school district.
c A person who violates this section commits an offense. An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor.
d In this section:
1 "Dietary supplement" has the meaning assigned by 21 U.S.C. Section 321 and its subsequent amendments.
2 "Performance enhancing compound" means a manufactured product for oral ingestion, intranasal application, or inhalation that:
A contains a stimulant, amino acid, hormone precursor, herb or other botanical, or any other substance other than an essential vitamin or mineral; and
B is intended to increase athletic or intellectual performance, promote muscle growth, or increase an individual's endurance or capacity for exercise.
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