Many men build their muscles by taking steroids. Although they have impressive results, they pay a high price for them. The list of side effects of steroids (anabolic androgenic steroids, commonly known as coke) is very long: from baldness and acne, through aggression and depression, to cancer, infertility, heart attacks and embolism.
They have been tempting men for over 70 years. It is no wonder.Steroidsandtrainingallow you to quickly gain muscle strength and endurance, which you have to work for for years without support.
That's why they've made a career as doping drugs in the last 40 years. They have helped many athletes break stunning records, and skinny people transform into bodybuilders. There is no shortage of people willing to take them, even though it is associated with a huge he alth risk and is illegal. And yet steroids were created as drugs whose task was to restore the hormonal balance and enable faster return to the former form after severe injuries.
Steroids - Enhanced Hormones
Anabolic androgenic steroids, commonly known as steroids or coke, are synthetic compounds, derivatives of testosterone. They are modeled on it, because this natural male hormone has a strong anabolic effect, i.e. stimulates the absorption of protein and thus stimulates bones andmusclesfor rapid growth. It is thanks to this hormone that men, as a rule, are much stronger and taller than women.
The testosterone effects do not end there. It also has an androgenic effect, i.e. it is responsible for the development of internal and external sexual characteristics. This is why men have a low voice and a body more hairy than women. Androgens owe certain psychological characteristics - they more often react with aggression in certain situations.
Steroids - side effects
When creating steroids, scientists tried to strengthen their anabolic properties, that is, the effect of quickly increasing muscle mass, strength and endurance. Indeed, these measures allow athletes to train with greater intensity. They enable the conversion of adipose tissue into energy (they change metabolic processes). Due to their androgenic effects, they cause a sharp increase in male characteristics. The mildest are baldness and acne typical of men. Steroids can also cause mental he alth problems(leading to attacks of aggression, severe depression and suicide attempts), liver disease, accelerate atherosclerotic changes which result in heart attacks and congestion. Their use is also a risk of lung cancer, liver cancer and enlargement of the prostate gland. In addition, despite the strengthening of all signs of masculinity, they cause gynecomastia (breast enlargement), and sometimes irreversible impotence and infertility, because the body, stuffed with gigantic doses of compounds acting like testosterone, stops producing it.
In adolescents, hormonal disruptions caused by steroid use can lead to stunted growth. The side effects will not be the same for everyone. They depend on individual sensitivity - genetic predisposition, age and gender. The quality and type of the steroid, dose size and duration of use are also important.
Terrible counterfeit steroids
The ban on the use of these measures makes it difficult to obtain reliable information about them. No responsible doctor will determine the optimal dose or choose the appropriate drug for anyone. In the past, when steroids were legal, a specialist could use a blood test to determine what side effects were caused by steroids. Today, men are experimental rabbits for themselves, because they decide on the type and doses of the preparations they take. Advice is usually provided by colleagues who have already tried them. Meanwhile, every person has different he alth problems or genetic predisposition to specific diseases. Unauthorized use of steroids can lead to permanent he alth loss or even death.
Since doping substances are banned, they can only be purchased on the black market. And there they often sell counterfeit products (not steroids) or fakes (products produced without technological supervision, containing active substances in the wrong proportions and quantities).
Steroids are sometimes useful
Anabolics are usually taken orally or by injection. The tablets, however, are more toxic because they overburden the liver. Injections are not that dangerous for this organ, but giving them a risk of systemic infection.
Taking steroids without consulting a doctor can ruin the body quickly. These are drugs, not foodstuffs. However, this does not mean that you must not take them at all. Research shows that anabolics are still of interest to scientists. They are recommended for AIDS patients as they prevent the destruction of the body, and in cases of extensive burns, as they accelerate skin and muscle regeneration. Their use in the treatment of muscle wasting and limb paralysis is also being investigated.
What in return for the betterfitness
If you want to improve your form, you don't have to reach for anabolics. Substances and preparations aimed at faster building of muscle mass work less spectacularly, but safer. They include, among others creatine and HMB - synthetic agents similar to steroids, CLA - a fatty acid that supports the achievement of appropriate body weight and accelerates the elimination of adipose tissue.
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