Big Mac on the Hot Seat

One of the things I have been thinking about as I have read and listened to discussions about this recently is the whole issue of right and wrong with regard to performance supplementation in athletes. I tend to feel that taking some kind of supplement, whether it be vitamins or whatever, is a part of modern athletic endeavor. To say that people are cheating when they do this is making it sound more black and white than it really is. Part of training for whatever your sport of choice is involves nutrition and optimizing your body so that it can progress in the most efficient manner possible. That's part of training. Using supplemental substances which enhance your training (under the supervision of whatever expert is available) is not cheating but rather the smart use of technology. But having said that, using a substance that has been banned or is dangerous should be punished very harshly. This is where the various governing bodies must exert their influence. If a substance is not banned but is clearly dangerous, it should be banned promptly and appropriate punishment (preferably harsh) determined for it's use.

Steroids are dangerous, there's no doubt about that. For one thing (if I understand it) they can dramatically enhance muscle development but do nothing to the connecting tendons. So athletes are very susceptible to injury when they use steroids. The other more ominous issue is damage to kidneys and liver (again, if I understand this correctly) which can shorten the athletes life. So clearly, steroids should be banned and made illegal if they are not currently.

And also, it would seem that athletes should proceed with caution when experimenting with any substance. If there is not much data on the use of something, then don't use it. A pro of course will have access to more data and more experts to determine this however. As in many other areas of life, the choice of taking supplements requires character and wisdom. Some will make good choices here and some, seeking glory and feeding their vainity, will make bad choices.

Ok, end of commentary. Anyone care to add to my thoughts?

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