Q&A: Impact of steroids on young athletes

Dr. Edward V. Craig explains dangers of performance-enhancing drugs

MSNBC—February 5, 2008

As Congress prepares for a Feb. 13 public hearing focusing on steroid use by Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens, a new survey describes how professional athletes influence young people who decide to use performance-enhancing drugs.

The confidential survey found that a majority of the students in grades 8 through 12 who admitted to using anabolic steroids say they would use a pill or powder to reach their athletic goals, even if it would harm their health or shorten their life.

Dr. Edward V. Craig, a sports medicine specialist and attending surgeon for Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, explained to msnbc.com the effects of anabolic steroids on young bodies and the difficulties of testing teens for performance-enhancing drugs.

Read the full story on MSNBC.com.