Beefing up while forfeiting health

(CNN) -- It's common for kids to look up to athletes -- especially a National League MVP.

But now former baseball major leaguer Ken Caminiti admits in Sports Illustrated to using anabolic steroids to improve performance in 1996, the year he was named the National League MVP. Caminiti says steroid use is rampant in professional baseball.

So is what's prevalent in professional baseball also prevalent in school sports?

Yes, according to Dr. Linn Goldberg of the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. "Nationwide, steroids are one of the only drugs that's increasing (in use)."

"We're talking about a significant, national trend," he says.

Goldberg started ATLAS, Athletes Training & Learning to Avoid Steroids, in 1994. Targeted at high school athletes, the program is used in 25 states and is now being tried on college campuses thanks to a grant from the NCAA.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO CNN's Ray D'Alessio gets some opinions from Major League Baseball players about allegation that steroid use is rampant in the sport (May 29) Play video   STEROID USE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS -lean muscle mass, strength, endurance -acne, oily scalp -headaches -stomach aches -water retention MID-TERM EFFECTS -muscle tears, tendon rupture -balding -trembling -aggression LONG-TERM EFFECTS -kidney & liver problems -high blood pressure, heart arhythmia -infertility -In men, enlarged breasts -In women, growth of facial hair, deepened voice -In adolescents, stunted growth Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse

This isn't a "just say no" approach. "The students teach the students, primarily, how to not use the drugs and gain the same things that they want to gain. That's getting stronger, bigger and more athletic," says Goldberg.

The program has won awards from the U.S. Department of Education and is considered a model program by the Department of Health and Human Services.

So why the increase in steroid use among this group? Is it feelings of invincibility? "Oh yeah. Absolutely," says Goldberg.

The numbers back up that assessment. The National Institute on Drug Abuse found nearly half a million teens in grades eight through 12 were using steroids in a study of 1999 figures. In the same study, fewer 12th-graders were aware of the risks of taking steroids.

Access is another issue. A NCAA survey found that of 14,000 college athletes surveyed, many felt they could easily get their hands on steroids. Moreover, the survey -- published last year -- found such steroids were prescribed by a doctor 38 percent of the time.

Athletes aren't bypassing danger when they opt for over-the-counter supplements in lieu of prescription steroids. Many legal sports and weight loss supplements contain ephedrine, a stimulant linked to heart damage, stroke and even sudden death.

Home run king Mark McGwire brought androstenedione, or andro, into the spotlight several years ago. While McGwire felt it helped him perform, a November 2000 Archives of Internal Medicine study found it did nothing more than a placebo but did increase the risk of heart disease.

Then there's creatine. Naturally made in the body, athletes add more to their systems through supplements in hopes of increasing performance. Less is known about creatine and unknown long-term effects worry researchers. So far, it's been associated with symptoms such as diarrhea, dizziness and dehydration.

Of concern to experts is that these legal products could lead to kids using more dangerous, illegal ones.