A 1995 study of Olympic athletes said more than 50 percent would take performance enhancing drugs that would kill them in five years, but let them win everything without getting caught before then. So what's so alluring about PEDs?
1. Matthew Silvis, MD, and director of primary care sports medicine at Penn State Health's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, believes the allure can be attributed to an olympian's mentality.
"They are not really thinking about life down the road because they are so wrapped up in the moment," Dr. Silvis said. "This is their opportunity."
2. Dr. Silvas said doping is present in all sports, but he feels it sometimes remains undetected because of a lax attitude towards it in a sports' governing body.
3. The problem with doping comes when the competition has ended. Dr. Silvas said athletes that take erythropoietin can develop blood clots and develop pulmonary embolisms because of the increased amount of red blood cells the body makes because of the drug.
4. Dr. Silvas said there is also a real risk of being injected with a contaminated needle.
5. Testosterone users have experienced shrinking in their genitals and deep, scarring, cystic acne on their chest and back as well as swelling of the numerous body parts, an inclination towards increased fluid retention, stretch marks and some psychiatric problems.
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