In Brief...World News Review

Is Your Little Girl Taking Steroids?

That's right, your little girl may be using "roids" or "juice," as anabolic steroids are known on the street. The Associated Press is reporting that steroid use is up among young girls—some as young as 8 to 10. The report says that up to 5 percent of middle school girls and 7 percent of high school girls have tried steroids at least once. And that number represents a steadily increasing trend for over a decade.

Isn't that what the professional athletes have been taking to gain body weight? Indeed it is, and some female athletes are looking for the same type of additional strength that men seek. But steroids cause different reactions in the female metabolism, and it's to obtain these effects that girls are taking them.

Steroids can give girls a slightly muscular appearance and reduce body fat and overall weight. All of these looks are "in" these days. Of course, girls could obtain the same result by following a disciplined program of weight lifting and exercise, but in these days of pill popping for a quick fix, they are opting for steroids. The same girls who are prone to eating disorders, bulimia and anorexia are susceptible to steroid abuse.

Like so many fads, this one is dangerous. If girls took the time to investigate all of the effects of steroid use, they would undoubtedly run screaming the other way.

"The scientific name for this class of drugs is anabolic-adrogenic steroids. Anabolic refers to muscle-building. Androgenic refers to increased male characteristics" (The National Institute on Drug Abuse, http://teens.drugabuse.gov/facts/facts_ster1.asp).

Unwanted side effects include "severe acne, smaller breasts, deeper voice, irregular periods, excess facial and body hair, depression, paranoia and the fits of anger dubbed 'roid rage.' Steroids also carry higher risks of heart attack, stroke and some forms of cancer" ("Girls Are Abusing Steroids Too," Associated Press, April 25, 2005).

Read the full article at www.wnponline.org/wnp/wnp0505/inbrief0505.htm

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