Steroids For Teens

Guess who the newest steroid abusers are? It's the pre teen and teen girl group! That's right. No longer is there a stereotype of the adult male and the female athlete pumping up his or her muscles to win an event.
Now an alarming number of young American girls, some as young as 9 or 10 years of age, are using bodybuilding steroids. They do it not to improve their athletic achievements, but rather to get the toned, sculpted look of models and movie starts. Young girls are getting their hands on the same dangerous testosterone pills, shots and creams that have caused scandals here and abroad in adult aged athletes.
To make matters worse, often these girls have eating disorders too. "There's been a substantial increase for girls during the 1990's, and it's at an all time high right now, "said Charles Yesalis, a professor of health and human development at Pennsylvania State University.
One other researcher said that next to pedophilia, steroid use by young girls is the most secretive ongoing abnormal behavior. Government and university studies estimate that between 5 and 7 percent of all high school and middle school girls are pumping up on steroids.
And the rise in use is astounding. This is because society values the toned, thin look so much. The young immature girls use the steroids more as a weight control and body fat reduction method. But side effects from using those male hormone drugs include more acne, smaller breast, deeper voice, irregular periods, excess facial and body hair, depression, anger and even paranoia, as well as an increase risk for heart attack, strokes and some forms of cancer.
What do most of the researchers who have studied this steroid abuse recommend? They say that parents and schools should start talking about the bad effects of steroids as early as the 3rd grade. Sigh..... Now that really is a sign the world has lost it's innocence