Are performance enhancers worth it?
March 23, 2010 • Sami Hobson, Sports Editor
Filed under Opinion, Sports
When I’m in the Hays Mall and I pass by GNC (General Nutrition Centers), I always see the massive wall of Whey Protein Powder and various other performance helpers. It always gets me thinking. Who really uses that stuff?
Bodybuilders? Workout junkies? Surely no young people take those things to get one-up on their competition. That would just be weird.
Some do, though. And it’s not the products in GNC that these teen athletes are taking. It’s untested supplements and steroids, illegal things we’re used to hearing about in professional baseball and wrestling.
I read a statistic that up to 4 percent of boys and 2 percent of girls in their teen years have turned to taking these things. Some are over-the-counter vitamins and minerals that are readily available and endorsed by pros.
Why would you want to do that to yourself? The health effects have never been tested on teen bodies. Consequences could impact the rest of your life. Life spans are shortened in adults, so if teenagers were to take the same things, they may only live to be 30. Who knows?
I don’t know about you, but I literally grimace at the thought of taking supplements to “bulk up” and conversely getting my voice to drop two octaves. Not to mention the growth of facial hair.
Teens may be getting massive amount of pressure from parents and coaches, I understand that. But if your coach is demanding that much from you, enough for you to resort to untested drugs, do they really have your best interests at heart?
And if the competition is tough enough that you have to resort to drugs to beat your opponents, maybe you should find a new sport.
Loading ...
