Bhubaneswar: The world of bodybuilding fascinates many youngsters who dream of
achieving fitness as that of their favourite movie stars. However, one of the dark sides of this sport is the athletes using steroids for muscle growth and faster
recovery.
Our city is one such place where the youth have similar craze towards the sport. Arindam Ganguly of Orissa POST interviewed nutritionists, dietician and some athletes, who have been victims of steroid in the past.
Steroids, classified into catabolic and anabolic categories, are used to enhance performances, increase lean muscle mass and reduction in recovery time. They produce result, but have their side effects with long term use.
“Muscle mass and strength gained by consuming the steroids are lost once the athlete stops taking them. Its regular use will effect blood sugar level and make the consumer diabetic,” said city-based nutritionist Nityananda Swain. He informed that if consuming these products was abruptly discontinued, then the results could be fatal. It could lead to cancer, liver failure, liver cirrhosis, impotency and hair fall.
Sumit Ray is a model and a fitness freak who used to consume steroids to gain his hulking physique. He would not notice some anomalies until he read about the side effects of steroid use. “I was taking it for my
muscular growth. But I stopped its consumption after realising its long term consequences.”
“One has to be patient with his body. It takes time to develop,” he said. He explained his dietary routine: “My day starts with Parathas, a glass of milk and fruits. I eat Roti, Dal, green vegetables, chicken and a bowl of curd for my lunch; juice without sugar from fresh fruits in the evening; salads and soups for dinner.”
Siddharth, a trainer from Cuttack and himself a fitness enthusiast, said consuming steroids alone won’t help in achieving a body of one’s desire. “The youth don’t understand this fact and ignore their diet.” The concept of having six-pack abdomen as a benchmark of fitness is also very wrong, he added.
Bodybuilder Ananta Mishra has friends who consume steroids for enhancement of their muscular growth. However, he believes that growth depends on genes, so it differs from person to person.
Dietician Sagarika Mishra’s views were similar to Nityananda’s. “Many a time youngsters come to me and ask about the methods to gain muscle rapidly, and the diet required to do so. They are greatly influenced by Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, which is why they push their bodies harder. When they don’t see the desired result, they start consuming steroids and get addicted to it.”
Ananta, Siddharth and Sumit resonated the same opinion that with right diet and exercise, an athlete can have the edge in his workout.
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