Performance-Enhancing Drugs: The Benefits Of Doping In Sports

Doping in Sports In professional, college, and even high school sports, there is widespread illegal use of performance-enhancing drugs. The use of performance-enhancing drugs, or "doping," by professional athletes has been acknowledged as a problem since at least the 1960s. A performance-enhancing drug is any substance taken by athletes to improve performance (USADA). It is important to know the history of performance-enhancing drugs to truly understand what performance-enhancing drugs are, why athletes use them in sports, and what the consequences are. Although there are several advantages of doping, such as increased strength, athletes do not understand that the costs can be extraordinarily high.
The first modern use of performance-enhancing
Some athletes take anabolic steroids to increase their muscle mass and strength. The main anabolic steroid is testosterone, which promotes muscle building and responsible for facial hair and a deeper voice. Androstenedione is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, ovaries and testes which allows athletes to train harder and recover quickly. Erythropoietin is a type of hormone used to treat anemia in people with severe kidney disease, but it is commonly used by endurance athletes (Mayo Clinic). Diuretics are drugs that change a body’s natural balance of fluids and salts and can lead to dehydration. Athletes mostly use diuretics to lose weight to compete in a lighter weight class (USADA). Creatine is a naturally occurring compound by one’s body that helps release energy. Creatine can benefit an athlete by producing small gains in short-term bursts of energy. Lastly, athletes use stimulants to stimulate the central nervous system and increase heart rate and blood pressure. Also, stimulants can improve endurance, reduce fatigue. Suppress appetite, and increase alertness and aggressiveness
The benefits allow athletes to play better, keeping their careers going and keeping them employed. With the pressures on athletes to perform, performance-enhancing drugs have been a way for them to keep up with the competition. Since their lives depend on their performance, it is not a surprise that athletes take advantage of the benefits of performance-enhancing drugs. Athletes use anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs to build muscle mass, reduce fatigue and enhance performance, allowing many to perform tirelessly in some of the most physically demanding sports (HRF). Not only can these drugs help an athlete become more aggressive on the field, but also run faster and increase their endurance