"Taken together, the sources I have consulted so far on my research topic reveal

Taken together, the sources I have consulted so far on my research topic reveal that the subject of the use of hGH in sports is widely known, yet some people feel that it is not truly a performance enhancing drug because their studies show that it only adds lean mass to a person's body, not muscle, and it does not help them perform better. This is refuted though by a lot of other sources I have looked at, and by the approach that professional athletics is taking on this subject. This is a good they say, I say issue, because some research shows that hGH does not have an effect on one's performance, other studies, professional athletics, and people who have used it seem to believe that it is. I do not have any research done on the question of the psychological reasons why athletes turn to performance enhancing drugs, because that is a section that I am going to use my personal experience of being an athlete to write.

Updated Research Question

What do experts have to say on the effects of hGH on athletes; ie what benefits are there, and disadvantages, but more importantly side effects? Also, what are the reasons behind athletes turning to performance enhancing drugs?

In order to answer the first question I have to focus on scholarly research, such as documents from medical journals, the FDA, and the NCAA, because the NCAA deals with young athletes, and the use of performance enhancing drugs usually begin late in high school or once athletes reach college. For the second question I will be using personal experience. Being an athlete, specifically a football player, I have seen a wide range of things used by other athletes and myself to help get a little bigger, faster, stronger, or to just cut some body fat. I have seen the effects of steroids on people, and I have done a lot of independent research about different performance enhancing drugs, because I have considered using them before. Also, I will interview one of my best friend's teammates who has used hGH for a period of time, to understand what effect hGH has on people of my age group.

Progress Report of My Research

I think that I have been able to do a good job in finding out what the side effects and benefits of hGH are, yet I seem to be lacking in actual articles about the psychological reasons why athletes turn to performance enhancing drugs. I know why they do, being an athlete I have felt the temptation and know people who have used, but I have no hard facts about the subject. So my focus for next week will be on the psychological aspect of this topic. I used some of the databases looking for the psychology behind the use of performance enhancing drugs, but that turned up nothing. I am going to use our time in the library to talk with the librarians about it.

Purpose of the research paper

The purpose of my paper is to examine hGH not only as a performance enhancer, but in a psychological aspect from an athletes view of why they choose to take performance enhancing drugs. My target audience is going to be athletes who have questions about hGH, coaches, and people in the field of sports psychology.

Possible Research Questions

1.) Why is hGH becoming one of the most popular performance enhancing drugs, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of taking it?



2.) What is hGH, and what are the side effects of using it?



3.) In a world where athletes are all looking to put up better stats to cash in on excessive contracts, is it moral for them to do whatever it takes to reach those levels, ie by using hGH?

Summary

Sam Zuponeck
3 October 2007
Dr. O’Rourke
English 106
Article Summary

Human Growth Hormone, otherwise known as hGH, has become one of the most popular performance enhancing drugs, since a synthetic recombinant form was improved in the early 1990’s. It is believed to have extreme anabolic muscle building effects on users of it, but according to the article this is not proven. However, all research that is now available shows otherwise, hence why athletes commonly use it. It is on the list of banned substances created by the World Anti-Doping Agency, however it is nearly impossible to be tested for, because growth hormone levels in the body are constantly high in athletes, and naturally and synthetic growth hormone look identical on tests. The only real way to tell if an athlete is abusing hGH, is that if they are not diabetic, that they begin showing signs of hypoglycemia, or high blood sugar levels. In the long run, use of hGH can cause diabetes, because of the constant high blood sugar levels, enlarged kidneys, heart attack, and stroke.

British Journal of Sports Medicine 2006;40(Supplement 1):i35-i39; doi:10.1136/bjsm.2006.027573Copyright © 2006 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine

Synthesis Assignment Topic

For the synthesis assignment I am going to research and write about hGH. hGH otherwise known as human growth hormone is the most recent performance enhancing drug to take the spotlight in professional sports. hGH is produced naturally in the body by the pituitary gland in the brain. Deficiencies in the pituitary gland can cause limited growth and development, while abnormalities such as tumors, can cause people to grow to giant proportions. It is prescribed by doctors to help people recover from injuries, and help elderly people be more healthy and active. However, when athletes use it, it is used to put on muscle fast, get stronger, and get faster in a short amount of time. It is undetectable by current drug tests, which makes it so appealing.