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CNN Live Today
Newly Detected Steroid Not Without Same Old Risks
Aired October 17, 2003 - 09:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to start this hour in the world of sports and a scandal that could extend all the way to next year's Olympic games. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency says several track athletes have tested positive for a steroid, one this is so new, it has been undetectable until very recently.
According to Terry Madden, who is the head of the U.S. Anti- Doping Agency, he says, " What we have uncovered appears to be intentional doping of the worst sort." Madden goes on to say, "This is a involving conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes using what they developed to be undetectable designer steroids to defraud their fellow competitors and the American and the world public who pay to attend sporting events."
Well the discovery could cost some athletes their Olympic dreams. Let's bring in Dr. Sanjay Gupta, our medical correspondent, he himself a neurosurgeon, to talk about the medical meaning of the story. Sanjay, first of all, what is this substance and how would it go undetected?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it's really interesting, Daryn, because if do you a search for this THG substance, you're going to turn up about zero. There is hardly any information about the substance out there, which is often the case with what are known as synthetic anabolic steroids when they first come out. This is a substance that is synthetic, completely man-made.
And it's an anabolic steroid which is something that people have heard a lot about. That enhances performance, builds skeletal muscle mass. It's a testosterone derivative, essentially, which is the male sex hormone. It does a lot of things athletes may find desirable.
But to answer your question, most basically, Daryn, THG is something that's essentially made up. It's made by man to essentially mimic what anabolic steroids do.
KAGAN: And we're looking down there to see why athletes would take it, how it enhances their performance. But what could be some of the bad side effects of taking it?
GUPTA: Well there are certainly side effects of medications like this. And this is part of the reason that they've gotten so much attention as well. There are side effects for men, women. I think we may have information on that.
But basically a couple things about anabolic steroids in terms of their -- the side effects. Infertility is something, impotence specifically is what could develop. Men could actually start to develop -- because they suppress their own production of their male hormones, they start to express their female hormones more, which results in breast development, shrinking of the testicles, perhaps, thinks like that as well.
But again, anabolic steroids, part of the reason that they are so popular is because they can increase skeletal muscle mass, they may improve performance, things like that. And there are some legitimate uses for them as well.
For example, people who have -- their own stores of testosterone are low for some reason. Sometimes the doctors actually have to replace those levels for them and anabolic steroids may provide some benefit there.
But the abuse is something that's been a problem for quite sometime.
KAGAN: Sanjay, thank you for explaining the medical aspect. We'll talk about what this could mean in the world of sports and how it could mean some Olympians or potential Olympians might not be going to Athens next summer as they have dreamed for almost their entire lives.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 17, 2003 - 09:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to start this hour in the world of sports and a scandal that could extend all the way to next year's Olympic games. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency says several track athletes have tested positive for a steroid, one this is so new, it has been undetectable until very recently.
According to Terry Madden, who is the head of the U.S. Anti- Doping Agency, he says, " What we have uncovered appears to be intentional doping of the worst sort." Madden goes on to say, "This is a involving conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes using what they developed to be undetectable designer steroids to defraud their fellow competitors and the American and the world public who pay to attend sporting events."
Well the discovery could cost some athletes their Olympic dreams. Let's bring in Dr. Sanjay Gupta, our medical correspondent, he himself a neurosurgeon, to talk about the medical meaning of the story. Sanjay, first of all, what is this substance and how would it go undetected?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it's really interesting, Daryn, because if do you a search for this THG substance, you're going to turn up about zero. There is hardly any information about the substance out there, which is often the case with what are known as synthetic anabolic steroids when they first come out. This is a substance that is synthetic, completely man-made.
And it's an anabolic steroid which is something that people have heard a lot about. That enhances performance, builds skeletal muscle mass. It's a testosterone derivative, essentially, which is the male sex hormone. It does a lot of things athletes may find desirable.
But to answer your question, most basically, Daryn, THG is something that's essentially made up. It's made by man to essentially mimic what anabolic steroids do.
KAGAN: And we're looking down there to see why athletes would take it, how it enhances their performance. But what could be some of the bad side effects of taking it?
GUPTA: Well there are certainly side effects of medications like this. And this is part of the reason that they've gotten so much attention as well. There are side effects for men, women. I think we may have information on that.
But basically a couple things about anabolic steroids in terms of their -- the side effects. Infertility is something, impotence specifically is what could develop. Men could actually start to develop -- because they suppress their own production of their male hormones, they start to express their female hormones more, which results in breast development, shrinking of the testicles, perhaps, thinks like that as well.
But again, anabolic steroids, part of the reason that they are so popular is because they can increase skeletal muscle mass, they may improve performance, things like that. And there are some legitimate uses for them as well.
For example, people who have -- their own stores of testosterone are low for some reason. Sometimes the doctors actually have to replace those levels for them and anabolic steroids may provide some benefit there.
But the abuse is something that's been a problem for quite sometime.
KAGAN: Sanjay, thank you for explaining the medical aspect. We'll talk about what this could mean in the world of sports and how it could mean some Olympians or potential Olympians might not be going to Athens next summer as they have dreamed for almost their entire lives.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
