Performance enhancing drugs are constantly evolving to stay one step ahead of the current testing methodology.
???Dr. Monica Spaulding, professor of medicine at Buffalo and Olympic drug tester, gave a presentation on the world of steroid use Friday at the Health Sciences Library on South Campus.
Her speech revealed in-depth information about steroids in sports to students and other attendees. Junior exercise science major Jeremy Cohen attended the event and found it very informative.
???"It was interesting to hear how the Olympians are tested," Cohen said. "A bunch of my friends are steroid users and I was curious to see all the side-effects and learn a little bit more about them."
???Cohen was able to gain his information from a very notable expert in regards to steroid control. Spaulding is the chair of the Institutional Review Board and former director of admissions for the Medical Scientist Training Program in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
???In 1993, Spaulding was certified by the U.S. Olympic Committee as a crew chief for their doping control program and has been a drug tester in four Olympics. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) handles all testing for U.S. athletes. Dr. Spaulding said that the USADA spends about $2 million a year towards detection of prohibited substances and the development of tests.
???The agency is primarily focused on the two most prevalent drugs in society today. According to Spaulding, anabolic steroids and Human Growth Hormones (HGH) have increased in popularity and are widely used today.
As explained by Spaulding, anabolic steroids are synthetic forms of testosterone which is mainly used to build muscle. The use of anabolic steroids is secretive, which makes researching its effects difficult. Potential problems users face from anabolic steroid use include cardiac disease, liver abnormalities, sterility, depression and possibly cancer.
???Spaulding believes anabolic steroid abuse in high school and college students is on the rise. She feels that the rewards offset the risks in the minds of younger athletes, giving them every reason to start on steroids.
???"The rewards of a college scholarship and a variety of other things may outweigh the risks to them," Spaulding said. "I think it takes a pretty good educational program to make students aware that there are real risks. Whether that is going on in high schools or not, I don't know."
???Spaulding and other steroid testers maintain their focus on preventions. Their priority is to make sure steroids stay out of schools so the influence does not reach children at an early age.
But with the steroid problem at its peak, Spaulding explained how difficult it is for drug testers to stay ahead of the users.
???"Clandestine labs are making new steroids all the time," Spaulding said. "You can get steroids on the web if you really want them."
???Spaulding reported that a recent study concluded that 90 percent of athletes said they would take a drug to win a gold medal. 50 percent of the same athletes said they would still take the drug if they knew they might die five to 10 years earlier.
???Despite clear signs of increased use, athletes are starting to accept testing. Most clean athletes even push for more testing to be done.
???"I was never really treated horrible [by athletes] at an event but now I'm being welcomed," Spaulding said.
???Spaulding hopes the Biologic Passport Program, a new testing program, will continue to lower the influence of steroids on the sports world. The program has been utilized on cyclists by the World Anti-Doping Agency and consists of every test result a rider has taken over the course of time. Testers are able to collect blood and urine sample before a race, after a race and during the rider's training period.
???"The Biological Passport Program may be the best form of testing to date," Spaulding said.
Spaulding is encouraged by all the new efforts to rid steroids. Steroid testers have always been a step behind the users, but the dedication exerted by these opponents has helped reveal new, more efficient ways to limit steroids.
