Abstract

Drugs, Athletes, and Physical Performance provides an understanding of how various drugs and hormones affect the bodys physiology. It describes how some of these drugs act upon specific target organs or groups of cells and how they are metabolized by organs of excretion and eliminated in the urine. Some of the substances described are, in fact, endogenous to the body (e.g., growth hormone); some are close chemical analogues of the bodys male sex hormones (e.g., anabolic steroids). Other substances described are clearly legitimate classes of drugs that have been designed for a specific therapeutic purpose yet are being misused for the sole purpose of improving physical performance. Certain classes of drugs described in this volume have been defined as so-called recreational drugs (e.g., cocaine), and certainly their abuse is not restricted to athletes. Nutritional supplements (e.g., vitamins and minerals) and adequate fluid balance are discussed in terms of their importance in physical performance. The effects of physical performance and exercise on different physiological systems such as the immune system and the reproductive system are also described. Finally, the effect of exercise on insulin requirements is described in the physically active person with diabetes mellitus. Drugs, Athletes, and Physical Performance includes new insights into how drugs, chemicals, and hormones can affect body performance and to what extent such substances can adversely alter biological function(s). aus dem Vorwort