Biochemistry and You

1
Biochemistry and You

• Steroids
• (slides from Success without steroids by the
  IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee)
• Cholesterol
• (slides from Controlling your blood cholesterol
  and triglycerides by the Univ. of Georgia
  Cooperative Extension Service)
• Diabetes
• (slides from Diabetes by the Pan American
  Health Organization)

2
Educational objectives

• What are steroids?
• Who uses steroids? Why?
• Do steroids work?
• What are the health risks associated with using
  steroids?
• What are the myths about steroids?
• What are the healthy ways to achieve my goals
  without using steroids?

3
What are steroids?

• Powerful drugs that many people use as a short
  cut to boost their athletic performance or
  improve their appearance
• Sometimes called Roids, Juice, Hype, Pump
• Properly called anabolic-androgenic steroids

4
What do anabolic and androgenic mean?

• Anabolic building body tissue
• Anabolic-androgenic steroids help to increase
  muscle mass and body weight, and speed up bone
  maturation
• Androgenic promoting male characteristics
• Anabolic-androgenic steroids promote development
  of facial hair, deeper voice, balding, and other
  male characteristics
• All anabolic steroids are also androgenic

5
What do steroids do?

• Doctors sometimes prescribe low doses of
  anabolic-androgenic steroids to treat people with
  serious medical conditions
• Example A mans testosterone level decreases
  due to a testicular tumor
• Dose prescribed is only enough to bring the
  testosterone level back up to normal
• Testosterone levels and side effects are
  monitored closely by the doctor

6
Examples of anabolic-androgenic steroids

• Testosterone (Depo-testosterone)
• Nandrolone (Deca-durabolin)
• Methandrostenolone (Dianabol)
• Oxandrolone (Oxandrin/Anavar)
• Oxymetholone (Anadrol)
• Stanzol (Winstrol)
• Trenbolone (Finaplix)
• Boldenone (Equipoise)
• Tetrahydrogestrinone
• Norbolethone
• Madol

7
What are corticosteroids?

• Medications prescribed by doctors to treat
  medical conditions such as asthma and arthritis
• Examples Prednisone, Medrol
• Corticosteroids are not anabolic or androgenic
• Corticosteroids have no muscle-building effects

8
Who uses steroids?

• Not just professional athletes!
• 20 of college students 1
• 4-12 of high school students 2-10
• 2-3 of middle school students 11,12
• Highest rates of steroid use among teens are seen
  in football players 2-5,12

9
Who uses steroids?

• Not just men!
• Up to 2.9 of middle and high school girls 11,12

10
Who uses steroids?

• Not just athletes!
• 25 of teens who report steroid use do not
  participate in organized athletics 14

11
How do people take steroids?

• Pills
• Injections
• Gels or creams
• Taken in doses 10-40 times higher than
  prescription doses to treat medical conditions

12
How do people get steroids?

• It is illegal to buy, sell, or possess steroids
  without a doctors prescription!
• Penalties range from 5 months to 6 years in jail

13
Illegally purchased steroids

• Not monitored for quality or purity
• 10-15 are counterfeit (contain no steroids at
  all!)
• Many are contaminated with substances like motor
  oil
• Sellers only care about making money they do
  not care about the buyers health

14
Do steroids work?

• Steroids will increase muscle size and strength
  when used with intense strength training
• But your body will pay a hefty price!!
• The medical dangers of steroid use far outweigh
  the advantage of gains in muscle mass and strength

15
What are the health risks?

• Steroids have harmful side effects on every
  system of the body
• Side effects range from mild to serious
• Some side effects are reversible and go away once
  steroid use is stopped, but many are permanent
• A few side effects are life-threatening

16
Harmful side effects

• Skin and hair
• Severe acne on face and back
• Baldness
• Stretch marks
• Being bloated
• Skin infections at injection sites
• These side effects can be permanent

17
Harmful side effects

• Muscles and joints
• Aching joints
• Muscle cramps
• Tendon rupture
• Liver
• Liver damage
• Liver cancer

• Heart
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Heart disease
• Heart attack
• Brain
• Headaches
• Stroke

18
Harmful side effects

• Gastro-intestinal
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Infection
• Can get HIV/AIDS and hepatitis if needles are
  shared to inject steroids

• Psychological
• Roid rage- aggressive and violent behavior
• Anger/irritability
• Severe mood swings
• Paranoia
• Anxiety
• Panic attacks
• Depression
• Suicide

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Pyschological side effects

• Can last for up to a year after steroids are
  stopped

20
Side effects for males

• Testicles shrink
• Breasts become larger
• Sperm count goes down
• Infertility
• Can be permanent!

21
Side effects for females

• Girls develop masculine characteristics
• Facial hair
• Deeper voice
• Smaller breasts
• Irregular periods
• Infertility
• Can be permanent!

22
A special danger for teenagers

• Steroids cause your bones to stop growing
• You will not reach your full height potential
• Using steroids can stunt your growth

23
Myths and facts about steroids
24
Myth or fact?

• Steroids will make me a better athlete.

25
The truth

• Steroids CANNOT improve your
• Agility
• Athletic skills
• Endurance

26
Myth or fact?

• You cant get addicted to steroids.

27
The truth

• Users can become addicted
• Steroid users are also more likely to become
  addicted to alcohol and other drugs

28
Myth or fact?

• The newer steroids are safer and have fewer
  harmful side effects.

29
The truth

• All steroids have harmful side effects

30
Myth or fact?

• Steroids are safe if you use them carefully.

31
The truth

• Even small doses of steroids are harmful
• Users may try pyramiding and cycling to
  reduce side effects
• No method eliminates the dangerous effects

32
Myth or fact?

• You cant get strong without using steroids.
• You cant keep up with your competitors without
  using steroids.

33
The truth

• You can get strong and beat your competitors
  without steroids
• Steroids are
• Illegal
• A form of cheating
• Dangerous to your health
• Short cuts are not the way to achieve your
  long-term goals

34
How to succeed without steroids

• Success takes talent, skill, and most of all,
  practice and hard work
• There are many healthy ways to build strength and
  improve your appearance
• Proper conditioning and training
• Get supervision and advice from a qualified
  professional
• Good, sound nutrition

35
Nutrition tips for athletes

• The best fuel for performance is a balanced diet
  that includes a variety of whole foods
• There is no one miracle food, vitamin,
  nutritional supplement, or energy bar that can
  supply ALL of your nutritional needs

36
Whats a balanced diet for an athlete?

• Ideal balance of nutrients
• Carbohydrates (60-70 of daily calories)
• Protein (20 of daily calories)
• Fat (10 of daily calories)
• Ideal balance of food groups
• 2 servings of dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt)
• 2 servings of meat (fish, poultry, beans)
• 4 servings of fruits and vegetables
• 4 servings of grains or cereal

37
Nutrition tips for building muscle strength

• Eat more calories!
• Young athletes trying to build strength should
  eat an extra 500 calories each day
• These extra calories should come from
  carbohydrates and protein

38
Nutrition tips for building muscle strength

• Eat more carbohydrates!
• The most important nutrient for building strength
  is carbohydrate
• An athletes daily carbohydrate needs
• 3.5-4.5 grams per pound of body weight
• Eating carbohydrates during a workout builds
  strength
• A sports drink during a workout provides carbs

39
Nutrition tips for building muscle strength

• Eat more protein!
• Athletes building strength need more protein than
  athletes in endurance sports
• 0.7-0.9 grams per pound of body weight per day
• Eating more than this will not build additional
  muscle and will only harm your kidneys
• For optimal muscle growth and recovery, eat a
  snack that has BOTH protein and carbohydrate
  about 30-60 minutes after exercise.

40
Sources of protein

• Athletes can easily eat enough protein without
  using additional protein or amino acid
  supplements or switching to a high-protein diet.
• The protein found in food is of better quality
  and is absorbed better by the body than the
  protein found in supplements.
• Healthy protein sources include lean meat,
  poultry, fish, dairy products, eggs, low-fat
  cheese, nuts, and dried beans.

41
For more information

• National Institute on Drug Abuse
• www.nida.nih.gov
• National Center for Drug-Free Sport
• www.drugfreesport.com
• World Anti-Doping Agency
• www.wada-ama.org

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For more information

• International Olympic Committee (IOC)
• www.olympic.org
• National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
• www.ncaa.org
• Taylor Hooten Foundation
• www.taylorhooten.org

43
What is Blood Cholesterol?

• A fat-like substance in the blood.
• Made in the liver and comes from some foods we
  eat.
• Too much cholesterol can build up in arteries
  over time.
• Can cause heart attacks and strokes.

Normal Artery
Cholesterol
Clogged Artery
44
Why do we need cholesterol?

• To build and maintain cell membranes (fluidity)
• To facilitate intracellular transport
• For cell-to-cell signaling (hormones)
• To insulate nerve conduction (myelin sheath)

45
Who needs to have their cholesterol monitored?

• If you have any evidence of heart disease
• If you have a family history of high cholesterol
• If you are a diabetic
• If you have high blood pressure
• If you have a family history of heart disease

46
LDL vs. HDL

• LDL Cholesterol
• Bad or Lousy
• Low Density Lipoprotein
• It can slowly build up in the inner walls of the
  arteries that feed the heart and brain causing a
  heart attack or stroke
• HDL Cholesterol
• Good or Happy
• High Density Lipoprotein
• high levels of HDL seem to protect against heart
  attack
• Low levels of HDL also increase the risk of heart
  disease.
• Medical experts think that HDL tends to carry
  cholesterol away from the arteries and back to
  the liver, where it's passed from the body.
• Some experts believe that HDL removes excess
  cholesterol from arterial plaque, slowing its
  buildup.

47
Tryglycerides

• Triglyceride is a form of fat made in the body.
• Elevated triglycerides can be due to
• Obesity
• physical inactivity
• cigarette smoking
• excess alcohol consumption
• a diet very high in carbohydrates
• People with high triglycerides often have a high
  total cholesterol level, including a high LDL
  (bad) level and a low HDL (good) level.
• Many people with heart disease and/or diabetes
  also have high triglyceride levels.

48
What is the Recommended Level?

• The National Cholesterol Education Program
  recommends

• Total Cholesterol
• LDL Cholesterol
• HDL Cholesterol
• Triglycerides

Less than 200 mg/dl Less than 100 mg/dl Women
over 50 Men over 40 Under 150
49
What Are Some Ways To Control Blood Cholesterol
and Triglycerides?

• Healthy Eating
• Physical Activity
• Weight Loss
• Medication

50
Eating Healthy

• Choose more fruits, vegetables, and whole grain
  breads, cereals and pastas.
• Choose baked, skinless chicken and fish, and
  low-fat dairy products.
• Eat less fat
• Saturated fat
• Trans fatty acids

51
Improving Fats

• Eat fewer solid fats
• Shortening
• Stick butter/margarine
• Excess fat on meats

• Substitute liquid or soft fats Heart-Healthy
  Fats
• Monounsaturated oils
• Olive, Canola, Peanut oil

52
Trans Fatty Acids

• Limit Trans fats
• Fried foods, cookies, cakes, crackers, snack
  foods

53
Dietary Cholesterol

• Can raise blood cholesterol levels
• Limit foods high in cholesterol
• Liver, organ meats, egg yolks, full-fat dairy
  products
• The American Heart Association recommendations?

• Less than 300 mg/day
• Less than 200 mg/day (with diabetes or heart
  disease)

54
Triglycerides

• Limit sugar and refined carbohydrates
• Eat Fiber (Soluble)
• Dried beans, peas, oats, fruits and vegetables

55
Physical Activity

• Important even as we get older!
• HDL Cholesterol
• LDL Cholesterol
• Lower triglycerides
• 30 minutes or more on most days.
• Moderate activity

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Weight Management

• Weight loss can
• LDL
• Triglycerides
• HDL
• Just 5 to 10 pounds will help show
  improvements!!!
• Be sure to talk with your doctor.

57
Medication

• Medication needed by some people.
• Continue with healthy eating and physical
  activity.
• Your doctor will help decide the best type of
  drug.

58
Points to Remember

• Know your cholesterol and triglyceride numbers!
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole
  grains, low-fat dairy products, and less fat and
  cholesterol.
• Exercise regularly
• Lose weight if overweight.
• Talk with your doctor about medicine if lifestyle
  changes arent enough

59
Diabetes definition

• Metabolic disorder of multiple etiology (causes)
  characterized by hyperglycemia with
  carbohydrates, fat, and protein metabolic
  alterations that result in defects in the
  secretion of insulin, its action or both.

60
What is diabetes?

• The majority of intake of food is converted into
  glucose.
• The pancreas produces the insulin hormone, which
  lowers the amount of glucose in the bloodstream.
• The pancreas produces the glucagon hormone, which
  raises the amount of glucose in the bloodstream.
• In persons with diabetes, insulin does not work
  properly.

61
Types of diabetes

• Type 1
• Little or no production of insulin
• Initiates in childhood or adolescence
• Insulin injections are needed
• Genetics play a role
• Type 2
• Far more common than type 1
• The pancreas does not make enough insulin to keep
  blood glucose levels normal, often because the
  body does not respond well to insulin.
• Many people with type 2 diabetes do not know they
  have it, although it is a serious condition.
• Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common due to
  increasing obesity and failure to exercise
• Generally initiates after 30 years of age

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Risk factors

• Family history of diabetes
• Older than 30 years of age
• Lack of physical activity
• Poor diet
• Excessive weight