Nutritional Supplements and Ergogenic Aids

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Key points

  • Androgenic anabolic steroids increase muscle strength, muscle size, and lean body mass. They are also illegal and 99% of users report adverse side effects, some which are permanent and/or life threatening.

  • Human growth hormone can affect body composition but there is no evidence that it increases strength, endurance, power, or workload capacity.

  • Blood doping and erythropoietin increase endurance and Vo2Max but carry significant risk for cardiovascular complications and infectious diseases. These

Introduction and overview

In the so-called age of performance-enhancing drugs, there are both increasing pressures to compete and increasing means, both legal and illegal, by which athletes try to obtain a competitive edge (Table 1). Nutritional supplements and ergogenic aids have been used for centuries and are becoming ever more sophisticated and supported by science. Regardless of the level of athletes one cares for, these following general facts are important:

  • Athletes of all ages and competition levels may use

Overview

The use of androgenic anabolic steroids (AAS) has become a hot topic not only in sports medicine but also in the mainstream media. The use of AAS has left indelible images in our society from US congressional hearings to Olympic controversies. Initial accounts of AAS use in the Olympics have been traced back to the 1950s by Soviet weightlifters, who were alleged to have used testosterone to enhance their performance. The mentality is echoed in comments from 1956 Olympic hammer-throw Gold

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