Abstract
1581 The primary purpose of this scientific overview was to critically analyze the literature pertaining to the ergogenic effects of anabolic-androgenic steroids. Relevant articles were identified from MEDLINE (1966-1995) and SPORT DISCUSS (1975-1995) database searches using the MeSH headings “doping in sports (exploded)”, “anabolic steroids (exploded)”, and“androgens (exploded)”. Based on the application of a pre-determined inclusion/exclusion criteria, 16 original peer-reviewed articles were selected for review. Particular attention was paid to factors related to the performance enhancing components of muscle physiology to critically analyze the discrepancies in methodology between the selected studies. The results revealed that seven of the 12 studies investigating the effects of anabolic steroid use on strength reported a significant increase between the experimental group and the controls (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05). None of the experiments which looked at the effects of these drugs on endurance revealed statistical significance, and only four of the 10 studies investigating body weight gain associated with anabolic steroid use found a significant increase between the experimental group and the controls (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05). Lastly, of the studies assessing strength performances on animals using anabolic steroids, none reported a significant increase in strength compared to controls. Thus, the ergogenic effects of anabolic-androgenic steroids, from a research perspective, is inconclusive. Many of the experimental research designs did not directly address the components of muscle physiology that would be likely to enhance performance. If the ergogenic effects of anabolic-androgenic steroids are to be assessed in the future, several studies must be employed which utilize an analytic design and address the following components in their methodology: type of contraction, contraction duration, activation, muscle length, velocity specificity, muscle tension, training specificity, and supplementation.
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