Four years ago, Charles Yesalis verified the use of steroids by high school students. Now he has assembled a team of experts to produce a reference for understanding and dealing with anabolic steroid use.

Teachers, coaches and parents will find this book a comprehensive and objective look at the ergogenic properties of steroids, their physical and psychological effects, and the medical implications of steroid use by athletes. The book also details alternatives for solving the problem of steroids in sports.

The contributors, many of whom have also assisted sport federations and the US government in addressing the problem of drug use in sport, thoroughly examine: 1. the history and definition of anabolic steroids, 2. steroid use among amateur and pro athletes, 3. what anabolic steroids are purported to do and whether they do it, 4. the health implications of anabolic steroids and 5. the history and problems of drug testing.

The book also covers the future of steroid use in sports and discusses ways of addressing the problem of steroid and performance-enhancing drug use, including legalization, interdiction, drug testing, education, and value change.

Dr. Yesalis, ScD, is a professor of health policy and administration and exercise and sport science at the Pennsylvania State University. He directed the first national study of anabolic steroid use among adolescents.