MUSCLE PERFORMANCE ENHANCING SUBSTANCES - CASE STUDIES Read the article Use of Ergogenic Aids by Athletes and 1.

. Briefly describe the 5 types of ergogenic aids. 2. Explain which pharmacological and nutritional substances are banned/not banned by the NCAA

CASE 1 A 16 year old male begins to take creatine in order to improve his chances of receiving a football scholarship from a large university. If he does not get the athletic scholarship, he probably will not go to college, since his grades are poor and his only ambition is to play professional football. He feels that since he was born with a smaller body frame than many other athletes, he should not be penalized, and should have the same opportunity to earn money. Should his coach allow him to take creatine supplements? Why/why not? Yes, I would with proper instruction and advise allow the athlete to take creatine. I would stress the importance of utilizing it in moderation and proper hydration. I feel as though denying him something potentially harmless and beneficial at that might spur him into something more dangerous. Creatine hasnt actually been shown to be very dangerous and only seems to present issues when proper hydration isnt established or it is over consumed.

CASE 2 A 20 year old female is a fitness enthusiast and amateur body builder. She enjoys looking good and feels that she needs growth hormone to achieve the best possible physique and enhance her selfesteem. She asks her doctor to prescribe growth hormone for her. Should the doctor prescribe HGH?

The doctor should absolutely not prescribe HGH as its usage among amateur and professional athletes should under no circumstances be encouraged. It has been found to be harmful to both the cardiovascular and potentially the skeletal system. Aesthetics are not a reason to toy with body altering drugs. As her physician I would have a long talk about her goals and perhaps advise her to see a trainer or someone who could provide further fitness advice and steer her in the right direction.

Before you analyze these case studies, visit the websites listed below and jot down some notes from each. Try to obtain the most up-to-date information on one these substances by visiting 2 other useful web sites. Take notes on the points that you will use in analyzing the above case studies.

http://www.nismat.org/hot/creatine.html Creatine increases stores of creatine in muscle, few documented health risks.

http://muscle.ucsd.edu/musintro/steroids.shtml

Increases ability to gain muscle mass, all chemical derivatives of testosterone.

http://www.rise.duke.edu/phr150/Performance/howitworks.html Stimulants (Ephedrine)- cause more norepinephrine to be released from its storage vesicles in the terminal of neurons Steroids- Derived from cholesterol. EPO (arythropoietin)- ////// check EPOgen EPOgen- Genetically engineered version of EPO travels to the bone marrow where it interacts with EPO receptors to stimulate the production of red blood cells from bone marrow stem cells. The increase in the number of red blood cells delivers more oxygen to all cells in the body, especially muscle cells http://www.ehow.com/way_5585639_hgh-buyers-guide.html Increases muscle mass and bone mass , largest protein in human body. Beneficial in some instances.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi? cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1550219&dopt=Abstract Abstract indicates that growth hormone did not have an appreciable effect. Muscle anabolism.

What ergogenic aid are you researching?? __Creatine__ site 1 URL: http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/creatine-side-effects-what-it-what-it-does date: 9/2/2013 Notes: Aids in increased muscle mass. Ups water retention rates.

site 2 URL:

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/10/11/creatine-myths-and-facts/ date: Notes: Aids in the transportation of additional energy to the muscles. No where near as harmful as anabolic steroids.

Would you recommend any of the muscle performance enhancers that you have learned about(beta blockers, adrostenedione, creatine, HGH, Recombinant Human Erythropoietin, other) ? Why/why not? No I would not with the exception of special cases. For instance human growth hormone may be used to treat kidney deficiencies. Use for aesthetics is completely unwarranted as it could result in serious side effects. This holds true for all the muscle enhancers I studied. Usage of HGH may result in high cholesterol , edema, liver failure and carpal tunnel syndrome. Theres also evidence to suggest that HGH may aid the growth of cancerous tumors. All of this being considered I would most definitely not recommend any of these enhancers.