Succeed on your merits-that's what its about

Steroids threaten health of athletes and integrity of sports performance

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) today has condemned the use and development of new "designer" steroids. ACSM considers chemicals, such as the recently identified Tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG, developed and cloaked to avoid detection by doping tests, as serious threats to the health and safety of athletes, as well as detriments to the underlying principle of fair play in sports.

Any effort to disguise or cover up steroid use in sports through stealth, designer, or precursor means, puts elite, amateur and even recreational athletes at risk.

The health risks associated with steroid use are severe. Anabolic steroid use has been implicated in early heart disease, including sudden death, the increase of bad cholesterol profiles (increased LDL, lower HDL), an increase in tendon injuries, liver tumors, testicular atrophy, gynecomastia (abnormal enlargement of breasts in males), male pattern baldness, severe acne, premature closure of growth plates in adolescents, emotional disturbances and other significant health risks. The health risks of designer steroids compared to or beyond symptoms of anabolic steroid use are currently unknown.

"No one knows the extent of this yet," said Gary I. Wadler, M.D., FACSM. "If there is one great concern that THG has exposed, it's the potential that other non-detectable anabolic steroids may be in the pipeline.