Teen Athletes &

Performance-enhancing
Drugs
Breanne Garcia
HW499
What are They?

• Performance-enhancing
drugs (PEDs) are
substances that are used
illicitly to improve athletic
performance.
• Include:
• prescriptions
• OTC medications
• Illegal “street” drugs
• Nutritional supplements

(Alic, 2012)

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History
• BC 776  Greek Olympians used dried figs & mushrooms to perform better
• 1889 Dr. Brown-Senquard found a substance to reverse his 72-year-old ailments
• A mixture of extract from dog and guinea pig testicles
• 1905 hormones were discovered
• Confirmed Dr. Brown’s suspicions
• 1935 Testosterone was isolated for the first time
• 1950s Russia outperformed US Olympians using performance enhancing injections
• 1959 First confirmed case of high school football player using steroids emerged
• 1960s steroid use was banned in the Olympics and official drug testing began
• 1988 first Olympic gold medal stripped from Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson after
he failed drug testing
• 2005 information emerged to suggest more teen athletes are taking performance
enhancers
• Confirmed when 9 players on one high school football team admitted to steroid
abuse

(Calfee, 2006)
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 Anabolic-androgenic steroids

Steroid precursors

Most
Common Growth hormone
PEDs
Creatine

Ephedra alkaloids

(Calfee, 2006)
Anabolic-androgenic
Steroids

• Physiology:
• Synthetic derivatives of testosterone
• Modified to maximize anabolic effects
• Dosing:
• Oral
• Injectable
• Transdermal
• Effects:
• Testicular atrophy
• Infertility
• Irreversible male gynecomastia
• Rise in blood pressure
• Shortening of final adult height
• Severe mood swings
• Lack of breast tissue in females
• Deepened voice in females
(Calfee, 2006)
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Steroid Precursors
• Physiology:
• Androstenedione
• Produced in adrenal glands/gonads
• Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
• Produced in adrenal cortex

• Dosing:
• 50-100 mg/day for up to 1 year

• Effects:
• Male gynecomastia
• Female virilization
• Possible positive testing for banned
substances
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

(Calfee, 2006)
Growth Hormone

• Physiology:
• Polypeptide
• Secreted from the anterior pituitary
• Converted in the liver to insulin-like growth factor-1
• Dosing:
• Only available in injectable form
• Effects:
• Stunted final adult growth
• Jaw enlargement
• Hypertension
• Intracranial hypertension

(Calfee, 2006)

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Creatine
• Physiology:
• Naturally produced by:
• Liver
• Pancreas
• Kidneys
• Formed from:
• Glycine
• Arginine
• Methionine
• Naturally present in diet:
• Meat
• Fish

• Dosing:
• Loading phase:
• 5g/4times daily for 4-6 days
• 2g/day for 3 month

• Effects:
• Gastrointestinal discomfort
• Muscle cramps
• Renal function compromise (Calfee, 2006)
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Ephedra Alkaloids

• Physiology:
• Stimulant
• Physical structure like:
• Amphetamines
• Derived from herbs AKA ma huang

• Dosing:
• Less than 25 mg
• Do not take more than 1 week

• Effects:
• Seizures
• Anxiety/insomnia
• Hypertension/myocardial infraction
• Cerebral vascular accident (Calfree, 2006)

• Death

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 Red Flags of Use
• Behavioral, emotional or psychological changes — particularly
increased aggressiveness ("roid rage")
• Changes in body build, including muscle growth, rapid weight gain
and development of the upper body
• Increased acne
• Needle marks in the buttocks or thighs
• Enlarged breasts, male-pattern baldness and shrinking of the
testicles in boys
• Smaller breasts, voice deepening and excessive growth of body hair
in girls
(Mayo Clinic, 2020)

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What Parents Can Do

01 02 03 04 05
Discuss Discuss Be clear Get involved Monitor your
ethics proper about your teen's
training expectations purchases

(Corporuscio, 2019)
 B vitamins

Better Iron
Alternatives
Calcium

Vitamin D

Coenzyme Q 10

(Corporuscio, 2019)
Resources

Calfee, R. & Fadale, P. (2006). Popular ergogenic drugs and supplements

in young athletes. Pediatrics, 117 (3) e577-e589; DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2005-1429
Caporuscio, Jessica. (2019). Vitamins and supplements for athletes.
Medical News Today. Retrieved from
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327166.php
Mayo Clinic. (2019). Performance enhancing drugs and teen athletes.
Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-
teen-health/in-depth/performance-enhancing-drugs/art-20046620