Part 2: The Truth About Anabolic Steroids And Its Effects On Baseball Pitching Performance

Editor's note: This is the second of an eight-week series of articles examining the effects of anabolic steroids and other substances on baseball pitching performance and overall health. Source: MLB.

The "more is better" mentality is creating huge problems for those experimenting with and taking steroids -- especially for pitchers. That's because as the potency of anabolic (muscle-building) effects are increased, so too are the negative side effects. Those side effects are something the government has known about since banning steroids in 1990 and classifying them in the same category as heroine, cocaine, and narcotics.

Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) are controlled substances under federal law. In fact, the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990 classifies AAS as Schedule III drugs, requiring a doctor's prescription for use.

What does this mean to you? Five things.

1. There are serious penalties for illegal manufacture, distribution, and non-medically prescribed use of AAS.
2. Since 2001 steroids have been banned in major league and minor league baseball -- if you use them, you can be suspended from baseball for life.
3. Because the government has banned steroids, 90 percent of the steroids you see on the "black market" are either completely fake, completely untested, completely unregulated, or completely dangerous. These black market steroids should be avoided at all costs.
4. There is no such thing as anabolic effects (muscle-building properties) without androgenic effects (the masculinization of the body like increased body hair, deeper voice, body acne, etc.). The result is that athletes who take steroids for their anabolic properties, to increase lean body mass, strength or endurance, cannot avoid the often harmful (and irreversible) properties  of the androgenic effects.
5. Since the increase of muscle mass associated with steroids is not accompanied by a corresponding increase in tendon or ligament or joint size or strength, the risk of serious injury is increased. This may be the No. 1 problem associated with AAS use.

(Series continues on Thursday...)