Ergogenic Aids. Effects and Health Risks

Abstract or Introduction

Over the years, exercise science has evolved to introduce new dimensions into the way energy is utilized in the body. During sports activities such as athletics, cycling and swimming, endurance for long hours is necessary for the maintenance of high muscle activity. Ordinarily, body muscles are responsible for generating chemical energy which is utilized during physical activity. Therefore, energy reserves in the body tend to be depleted, especially after prolonged exposure to strenuous exercise such as running. This applies to sprinters as well as, long-distance runners. This phenomenon is also experienced by people who engage in strenuous physical exercise, rather than sports.

On the other hand, strenuous exercises including sporting activities involve a high level of dehydration. This leads to a significant loss of body fluids, as well as salts. These factors have prompted sporting people to look for remedies for energy depletion and dehydration, in order to maintain endurance in physical activities such as athletics. In theory, these remedies are referred to as ergogenic aids. An ergogenic aid can be defined as a mechanical, physical, psychological, nutritional, or a pharmacological substance that either limits physiological capacity by removing subjective restraints or directly enhances physiological variables in the body, especially those related to exercise performance.

According to the definition of ergogenic aids, it is apparent that steroids are considered some of the most principal ergogenic compounds which can be used in sports. This is so because steroids tend to increase muscle activity, especially during strenuous exercises. Ordinarily, steroids have been in clinical use as pharmacological substances for the treatment of an array of health conditions. They have also been used as nutritional supplements for enhancing hormone production, and alleviation of anxiety. This implies that steroids possess psychological functions in the body. As such, steroids are ergogenic aids, and this is why athletes are prohibited from taking steroids because they alter their actual performance by providing them with a competitive advantage. It is believed that steroids enhance exercise performance, more or less the same as other pharmacological ergogenic aids.