Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids: Incidence of Use and Health Implications

Note from the Editors In recent months there have been more that a few stories in the national media related to the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids among athletes. Because of this attention, and because steroid abuse is not limited to athletes, the editors felt that the time was right for an issue of the Research Digest devoted to steroids. As the reference list for this article attests, Charles Yesalis and Michael Bahrke, the authors of this issue of the Research Digest, are widely published experts on steroid use and abuse. Yesalis and Bahrke were charged with presenting the evidence about steroid use, something that they did quite well. The authors were not asked to dwell on the legal and ethical issues associated with the use of steroids. For this reason, the editors wish to make it clear to readers, especially youth who might read this paper, that anabolic-androgenic steroids are illegal drugs when used for performance enhancement and attempting to increase muscle mass. In addition most sports organizations, including the Olympics, the NCAA, high school athletic groups, and professional sports, ban the use of these substances. These bans are based on the notion that the use of performance-enhancing drugs is not only illegal, but unethical. More importantly, as the authors of this issue point out, there are many negative health consequences associated with the inappropriate use of steroids.