More Girls Try Taking Steroids to Tone Up

from sf gate

By LINDA A. JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

An alarming number of American girls, some as young as 9, are using bodybuilding steroids — not necessarily to get an edge on the playing field, but to get the toned, sculpted look of models and movie stars, experts say.

Girls are getting their hands on the same dangerous testosterone pills, shots and creams that have created a scandal in major league baseball and other sports. Often, these are the same girls who have eating disorders, according to some research.

"There's been a substantial increase for girls during the 1990s, and it's at an all-time high right now," said Charles Yesalis, a professor of health and human development at Pennsylvania State University.

Lloyd Johnston, a University of Michigan professor who heads an annual government-sponsored survey on risky behavior by young people, said: "Other than **********, this is the most secret behavior I've ever encountered."

Overall, up to about 5 percent of high school girls and 7 percent of middle-school girls admit trying anabolic steroids at least once, with use of rising steadily since 1991, various government and university studies have shown.

Researchers say that most girls are using steroids to get bigger and stronger on the playing field, and they attribute some of the increase in steroid use to girls' rising participation in sports. But plenty of other girls are using steroids to give themselves a slightly muscular look, they say.

"With young women, you see them using it more as a weight control and body fat reduction" method, said Jeff Hoerger, who runs the staff counseling program at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

In the past couple of years, he has helped two young women using steroids — one an 11th-grader with "an average figure" whose swimmer friend suggested steroids would help with weight loss. "She was just looking for quick results," Hoerger said.

The sports medicine division at the Oregon Health and Science University found that two-thirds of Oregon high school girls who admitted using steroids were not athletes and that girls who were considering taking steroids had tried other, risky ways to get thin.

"They were more likely to have eating disorders and to abuse diuretics, amphetamines and laxatives," said Dr. Linn Goldberg, head of the division.

In teenage girls, the side effects from taking male sex hormones can include severe acne, smaller breasts, deeper voice, irregular periods, excess facial and body hair, depression, paranoia and the fits of anger dubbed "roid rage." Steroids also carry higher risks of heart attack, stroke and some forms of cancer.

Researchers say youngsters generally get illegal anabolic steroids on the black market from relatives or friends, from the local gym and over the Internet. At least one study indicates some parents and coaches supply steroids to teen athletes.

Dr. Eric Small, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on sports medicine, said adults should gently ask youngsters about possible steroid use.

"Talking about supplements and steroids needs to start in the third grade," Small said. "If you wait till ninth grade, it's too late."


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On the Net:


National Institute on Drug Abuse steroid site:


The Hormone Foundation steroid site:


www.steroidabuse.org


www.hormone.org/learn/abuse.html

http://www.nationallampoon.com/nl/08...oids/roids.asp

people are always looking for a quick fix without understanding the consequences...

besides the fact of how wrong it is and programming of young people to live up to the high standards of models and celebs etc.

if they really wanted to take somethign to help them acheive their goals they could have done the research and found out which supplements do what and how safe they are what signs of side effects they have to look for etc etc...

ugg... i am all about legal supplementation..better living through science etc... but you have to do it right... know what you are getting into explore alternatives and do what is right for you overall...

i have a friend who was annorexic to the point where she dropped almost 100 lbs... of course in an unhealthy way... and looked quite disgusting...eventually she caused irreversable damage to her digestive track and must now take special steroids in order to be able to digest her food and prevent further damage. this caused to gain a large amount of weight and due to her annorexia she is heavier then before and now there is little she can do b/c the stuff making her fat is also keeping her out of a hospitol.

these kids are taking roids to look better... yet increased acne facial hair smaller breasts are all things that take away from that.

i watched a guy on mtv's " i want a famous face" only he wanted to get a man boob reduction b/c he is obsessed with arnold swarzzenager ... citing he has been working out for just about a year and isn't comfortable with his body b/c he has man-boobs... yet he in that year he lost over 30something lbs maybe more and he wants the surgerey yet hasn't lost enough weight to see his sixpack or even any vains in his forearms(usually the first vains to show due to weight loss) if he was totally ripped with single digit body fat (or at least below 12% and then still had man boobs i would say he should go for the surgery... but instead he jumped the gun and got the "quick fix"

sorry for the rant.

that article is great. I mean the national lampoons one, not the one about stupid skanks. hmm. where are those "natural selection" advocates? I think i'll be joining thier camp...

ive seen the efects steroids can do on a womans "stuff" as brightstar would say:1orglaugh not a prety sight