Health Hazards
The major side effects from abusing anabolic steroids can include liver tumors and cancer, jaundice (yellowish pigmentation of skin, tissues, and body fluids), fluid retention, high blood pressure, increases in LDL (bad cholesterol), and decreases in HDL (good cholesterol). Other side effects include kidney tumors, severe acne, and trembling. In addition, there are some gender-specific side effects:
* For men - shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, baldness, development of breasts, increased risk for prostate cancer.
* For women - growth of facial hair, male-pattern baldness, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, enlargement of the clitoris, deepened voice.
* For adolescents - growth halted prematurely through premature skeletal maturation and accelerated puberty changes. This means that adolescents risk remaining short for the remainder of their lives if they take anabolic steroids before the typical adolescent growth spurt.
In addition, people who inject anabolic steroids run the added risk of contracting or transmitting HIV/AIDS or hepatitis, which causes serious damage to the liver.
Scientific research also shows that aggression and other psychiatric side effects may result from abuse of anabolic steroids. Many users report feeling good about themselves while on anabolic steroids, but researchers report that extreme mood swings also can occur, including manic-like symptoms leading to violence. Depression often is seen when the drugs are stopped and may contribute to dependence on anabolic steroids. Researchers report also that users may suffer from paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility.1
So we all know that, one time, Jones was "caught" having "used" steroids. I see it thrown around on this site here and there, and I want to lay this rumour to rest.
First of all, I call it a rumour because Roy Jones Jr. did not in fact take steroids. He took an over the counter supplement, just like any whey protein supplement, that happened to contain androstenedione in it, and he was unaware of that.
Secondly, have you ever seen RJJ not smiling at the end of a fight (besides when he was knocked out). Have you ever seen him extremely angry or aggressive? I mean, this guy was a boxer and he went out of his way NOT to hurt people. I've seen him stop in the ring look at the ref and be like "comon, make this stop I don't wanna hurt the guy". Let's be realistic, if anything Roy Jones Jr. has demonstrated qualities that would denounce the chance of him ever having used steroids.
Let's look at the facts: both him and Hall tested positive for having a higher-than-normal level of Androstenedione which is a banned substance by the IBF.
A post-fight drug test showed Jones and Hall both tested positive for androstenedione, which is a banned substance by the IBF. Androstenedione is a natural steroid hormone that was commonly available over the counter as a supplement until 2004 when the FDA made the over the counter sale of androstenedione illegal. Jones admitted to taking the product "ripped fuel" which was sold at GNC and other nutritional supplement outlets.
He admitted to taking it, but keep in mind that when the testing was done his level of androstenedione was much lower than Halls, and, in fact, wasn't that high. He apologized to the boxing commission afterwards as he was ignorant to the fact that it was even in the supplement that he took, and that it was illegal to use for boxing.
Here are some more fun facts about androstenedione:
On March 12, 2004, the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004 was introduced into the United States Senate. It amended the Controlled Substance Act to place both anabolic steroids and prohormones on a list of controlled substances, making possession of the banned substances a federal crime. The law took effect on January 20, 2005. Surprisingly, andro was legally defined as an anabolic steroid, even though there is scant evidence that androstenedione itself is anabolic in nature.
So, even though there is next-to-no evidence (I couldn't find any evidence at all) that androstenedione is anabolic in nature at all, it was bunched in with anabolic steroids. What does this mean? It is -not- a steroid. While it is a banned substance, it is not a steroid.
Now, read this:
Androstenedione has been shown to increase serum testosterone levels over an eight-hour period in men when taken as a single oral dose of 300mg per day, but a 100mg dose had no significant effect on serum testosterone. However, serum levels of estradiol increased following both the 100mg and 300mg doses. The study also reported that the serum level of estrogens and testosterone produced varied widely between individuals.[3] A 2006 review paper summarized several studies which examined the effect of androstenedione on strength training. At dosages of 50mg or 100mg per day, andro had no effect on muscle strength or size, or on body fat levels. One study utilized a daily dosage of 300mg of androstenedione combined with several other supplements, and also found no increase in strength when compared to a control group that did not take the supplements.
...androstenedione, while having been shown to increase serum testoerone levels, was shown NOT to increase in strength, size or body fat levels in dosages of 100 mg to 300 mg per day. What does this mean? Considering how low the levels Jones tested with in the first place, I doubt very highly that he was even taking 300 mg of "Ripped Fuel" per day, and even if he was it was conclusively tested that androstenedione does NOT, DOES NOT, increase strength, size nor does it affect body fat levels. In fact, experts recommend you don't even bother with androstenedione as a supplement because it shows no benefits over other supplements in the legal over-the-counter dosages.
Now, please tell me how Jones is a roid head, cheated to win all of his matches and was taking roids all the way up until 2004. Please.
The side-effects of anabolic steroids here:
InfoFacts - Steroids (Anabolic-Androgenic)
The quote about Jones testing positive for androstenedione:
Roy Jones, Jr. - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The information on androstenedione:
Androstenedione - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
