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Stay Away from Steroids

Stay Away from Steroids
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   high interest, readability grades 5 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   4.41

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    buff, roid, steroid, testosterone, suicide, deepen, society, acne, somewhat, behavior, man-made, depression, hormone, addictive, facial, abuse
     content words:    Larissa Lazutina, Ben Johnson, Thomas Johansson

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Stay Away from Steroids
By Patti Hutchison 		  
1     What do Larissa Lazutina, Ben Johnson, and Thomas Johansson have in common? They are all Olympic athletes. They all won medals. Their all had their medals taken away. They all tested positive for steroids.
 
2     What are steroids? They are a man-made form of testosterone. Testosterone is a hormone that is made naturally in the bodies of males. It helps them mature physically. It causes their voice to deepen. It makes hair grow on their faces.
 
3     Steroids can be taken by mouth or injected with a needle into muscles. They are used legally by doctors. Steroids reduce inflammation. They are used by people with asthma and arthritis. They make the immune system less active. This helps people with certain diseases. Doctors watch these patients closely while they are on steroids.
 
4     Some athletes take steroids illegally. They use them to "bulk-up," or make their muscles bigger. Steroids increase their strength. They can make someone perform better at sports. But they can be very dangerous.
 
5     Like all drugs, steroids have serious side effects. They affect your body and your behavior. Steroids can damage your liver. They can cause you to retain fluids. This can lead to kidney failure. They can also cause cancer of the liver or kidneys.

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