Newswise — In light of yesterday's Public Health Advisory from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning consumers to immediately stop using all body-building products that claim to contain steroids or steroid-like substances, The Endocrine Society is re-issuing its Position Statement on Steroid Abuse initially launched in 2008.
The Endocrine Society supports policies that prevent the illegal and non-medical uses of steroids, calls for enhanced detection of steroid abuse among professional and amateur athletes, and greater education to deter teenagers and others from putting their health in jeopardy through steroid doping. The statement also supports the appropriate clinical use of anabolic steroids.
The warning issued by the FDA follows reports of potentially serious health risks such as acute liver injury and kidney failure associated with the use of these body-building products. These products are often promoted to consumers and athletes to improve sports performance and aid in recovery from training and sports activities.
In its warning, the FDA states that although products containing synthetic steroids are frequently marketed as dietary supplements, they are not dietary supplements, but instead are unapproved new drugs that have not been reviewed by the FDA for safety and effectiveness.
The Society stresses that there is a definitive line between abuse and appropriate clinical use such as the treatment of syndromes of hormone deficiency and HIV/AIDS wasting with anabolic steroids.
WHO: Dr. Daniel Spratt
Representative of The Endocrine Society (TES)
Director of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Maine Medical Center
Member of The Hormone Foundation's Hormone Abuse Task Force
WHAT: Dr. Spratt, a leading reproductive endocrinologist, is available to discuss the use, misuse and abuse of anabolic steroids
Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 14,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 100 countries. Society members represent all basic, applied and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. To learn more about the Society, and the field of endocrinology, visit our web site at www.endo-society.org.
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