Do you ever just find yourself thinking about how baseball, Americas greatest passing time has just been on the decline this past decade. Well let me take you back to 2001 when Barry Bonds notched 73 home runs in 1 season, not to mention this guy hit 762 home runs in his career (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL3vNXIsEPM) !!! Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, A-ROD, all these legends have something in common and I am not talking about talent, I'm talking about performance enhancing drugs (PED) or what I like to call it "That Juice."
At this time usually the drug of choice was called Androstenedione (andro). This is a steroidal hormone produced by the male and female gonads. Utilized to increase testosterone levels, and thought and "proven" to be an athletic performance enhancer by building muscle, reduce fats, increase energy, maintain healthy RBC's and also increase sexual performance. Nevertheless this drug is banned by almost all athletic committees, including the MLB :(.
Andro works negatively by converting into more potent hormones like estradiol and testosterone, which really can disrupt your hormone balance (Badway). Estradiol also was known to stimulate cell growth, potentially promoting cancer development. On this study The big take home they were concerned about was how bad it affects the male sperm count.
In another study done with mice, Andro was seen to cause liver cancer in mice and likely contribute to higher risk of liver cancer in men compared to women (Rooney). Male mice were found to be more susceptible to liver cancer because they have higher androgen receptor activation, This mechanism showed that andro's metabolism is linked to liver tumor development based on sex within mice (Rooney). Also according to the Mayo clinic Andro was seen to cause damage in the heart and blood vessels, to anyone who takes it (Mayo clinic).
So would taking Androstenedione be worth it, at the expense of liver cancer. I say "Commence the moonshot bombs."
Badawy, M. T., Sobeh, M., Xiao, J., & Farag, M. A. (2021). Androstenedione (a Natural Steroid and a Drug Supplement): A Comprehensive Review of Its Consumption, Metabolism, Health Effects, and Toxicity with Sex Differences. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(20), 6210. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26206210
ESPN. (2012, December 5). The Steroids Era. ESPN.com. https://www.espn.com/mlb/topics/_/page/the-steroids-era
Rooney, J. P., Ryan, N., Chorley, B. N., Hester, S. D., Kenyon, E. M., Schmid, J. E., George, B. J., Hughes, M. F., Sey, Y. M., Tennant, A., MacMillan, D. K., Simmons, J. E., McQueen, C. A., Pandiri, A., Wood, C. E., & Corton, J. C. (2017). From the Cover: Genomic Effects of Androstenedione and Sex-Specific Liver Cancer Susceptibility in Mice. Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology, 160(1), 15–29. https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfx153
Mayo Clinic . (2023, June 27). Performance-enhancing drugs: Know the risks. Mayo Clinic; Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/performance-enhancing-drugs/art-20046134
It’s eye-opening to look back at the MLB’s “Steroid Era” and reminds me of bodybuilding’s use of performance-enhancing drugs. Both worlds turned to steroids to push boundaries—whether smashing record-breaking home runs or building the enormous muscle mass that defines competitive bodybuilding. These athletes were reaching for greatness, but the price was incredibly high. There are numerous short term effects of steroid use such as baldness and acne however, the long term effects outweigh the short term "spotlight" from steroid use. Long term effects of steroid use leads to kidney damage, cardiovascular problems and increased risk of cancer. Adding the risk of infertility to the mix makes the cost even steeper. For me, that alone would make steroids a no-go. It’s one thing to risk things like muscle strains or short-term side effects, but messing with your fertility? That’s a lifelong impact that goes way beyond any record or trophy.
ReplyDeleteMantri S, Agarwal S, Jaiswal A, Yelne S, Prasad R, Wanjari MB. Bodybuilding: A Comprehensive Review of Performance-Enhancing Substance Use and Public Health Implications. Cureus. 2023 Jul 9;15(7):e41600. doi: 10.7759/cureus.41600. PMID: 37559855; PMCID: PMC10409494.