In Depth Description of Anabolic Steroids and Their Effects on Human Body.

What is Testosterone. It's Importance and Function.

Before we talk about anabolic steroids in general, it's important to figure out what testosterone is to make this piece of article as helpful source of information as possible for those taking pharmaceutical preparations.

Since testosterone is the basis of almost all anabolic/androgenic steroids, every athlete should have a certain basic knowledge of this hormone.

Most of what is written here about testosterone also applies to anabolic-androgenic steroids in a more or less modified form.

Testosterone is the most important representative of the male sex hormones, also known as androgens.

The main characteristics and traits of Testosterone

Cholesterol plays an important role here as it serves as the basis for the formation of this group of hormones.

The production of androgens is controlled by the Leydig cells in the male gonads (testicles). The end product is testosterone, which fulfils three functions in the organism:

1. It is responsible for the development of secondary male sexual characteristics (increased body hair, beard growth, deepening of the voice, increased sebaceous gland production, development of the penis, aggressiveness, sexual behavior, libido, etc.) and for sperm maturation. These points are also referred to as the androgenic function of testosterone.

   One of the important biological differences between men and women is the amount of testosterone that the two different sexes produce daily.

   Men produce 4-10 mg of testosterone per day, while women only produce 0.15-0.4 mg of testosterone per day. The difference is quite significant.

2. Promotion of protein biosynthesis

   The strong anabolic properties of testosterone are responsible for this and it is manifested through accelerated muscle growth, increased formation of red blood cells, faster regeneration, shorter recovery time after injuries and illnesses. The entire metabolism is stimulated, activating the fat burning process.

3. Inhibition of the gonadal control circuit

   This includes the hypothalamus-pituitary-testicular axis, which regulates the amount of testosterone produced in the organism.

   If the testosterone concentration in the blood is high, the testes signal to the hypothalamus to release less LHRH (leutenizing hormone releasing hormone).

   This causes the pituitary gland to release less of the gonadotropins LH (leutenizing hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone).

   This results in the Leydig cells in the testes reducing testosterone production.

Interestingly, the female sex hormone estradiol also has a pronounced effect on the gonadal control circuit.

Even small amounts of this hormone have an inhibitory effect on the hypothalamus. This results in reduced testosterone production in the testes.

This property becomes particularly important when bodybuilders use steroids that easily convert to estrogens.

Development of exogenous Injectable Testosterone.

In the 1940s, injectable testosterone was produced in Europe in large quantities to speed up the recovery process in malnourished people, especially prisoners of war.

During this time, testosterone was probably also used on German soldiers to increase their aggressiveness.

At the end of the 1940s, Russian weightlifters discovered the performance-enhancing properties of exogenous Testosterone.

What are anabolic steroids?

Performance-Enhancing drugs have become increasingly popular among athletes and regular people who are after a better look.

This is why almost everyone immediately thinks of anabolic steroids when they hear the word steroids.

It is often forgotten that the term "steroids" is actually just a generic term for various steroid hormones.

These include the adrenal cortex hormones, the female sex hormones and the male sex hormones.

Anabolic-androgenic steroids are synthetically produced compounds that resemble the natural male androgen testosterone.

They are therefore nothing else than synthetic derivatives of testosterone.

The main purpose of Steroids.

The main reason for their development was the intention to develop a preparation that contains the high anabolic effect of testosterone, but at the same time excludes the negative aspects of the pronounced androgenic component.

In order to achieve this, various changes were made to the steroid molecule.

The resulting new steroids were characterized by either a loss of effectiveness with a weaker anabolic and androgenic effect or an increased effectiveness after both the anabolic and androgenic components were strengthened.

In some steroids, the structural changes resulted in an even higher androgenic effect but reduced anabolic activity.

This explains the considerable differences in the effectiveness and side effects of some of the common steroids.

Anabolic-Androgenic ratio of Steroids

The creation of a pure anabolic steroid without any androgenic activity has not been achieved yet..

Therefore, an anabolic steroid will also have a certain androgenic effect and vice versa. An androgenic steroid will also have anabolic properties.

Thus, one would think that to quickly build strength and muscle mass, the best option is to choose an anabolic steroid with the least androgenic.

Although this might seem logic it's not quite so, because the term anabolic steroid says nothing about the strength of the anabolic effect.

This only means that the anabolic-androgenic ratio of the original steroid testosterone has been shifted.

Testosterone is used as the base parameter to determine this ratio and thus classify a steroid as anabolic or androgenic.

Steroids that are less androgenic are called anabolic steroids, while steroids that are just as androgenic or even more androgenic are called androgenic steroids.

The anabolic properties go hand in hand with the adrogenic ones in a hormone.

This means that a diminished androgenic effect, inevitably leads to a loss of anabolic activity.

One should keep in mind that an anabolic steroid that is significantly less androgenic than testosterone, will also be less anabolic, and as a result less effective in building muscles.

The so called "bulking steroids" come exclusively from the group of androgenic steroids and are both strongly androgenic and strongly anabolic.

Such features of this hormones create a dilemma for the athlete, as androgenic steroids are not only the more effective, but unfortunately also the more harmful in terms of side effects.

This brings us to a logic conclusion: the more effective a steroid is, the more androgenic its active ingredient is and the more potentially dangerous side effects it may cause the human body.

The dangers of Anabolic Steroids abuse.

The opinion that is often heard that anabolic steroids in general cause severe, sometimes irreparable damage to their users cannot therefore be fully accepted.

As discussed above, it is correct to say that androgenic steroids are mainly responsible for most side effects.

Labeling all anabolic steroids as " harmful to the liver" is nonsense, as not all steroids are created equal.

Development of the Anabolic Steroids Market

The first anabolic-androgenic steroids officially came onto the market in the early 1950s.

Just a decade later, a considerable part of the performance-enhancing drugs available today were already on the market.

Since only a few new steroids have been developed in the meantime, these preparations can be described as relatively old drugs.

There have certainly been some movements and changes in the steroid sector over the years.

Many steroids have been taken off the market, some have been reintroduced under a generic name in other countries, a few new ones were added in the 1980s, but there have been no major groundbreaking developments.

Nevertheless, steroids are still the most effective means of improving athletic performance.

Steroids were still making their way into the world of sport in the 1950s.

A significant role in the developing relationship between steroids and sport was played by the introduction of Dianabol, an oral steroid developed in 1956.

This drug and its successors became extremely popular at the end of the 1950s, first in the circles of heavy athletes and then in many other sports.

The bodybuilding movement in the 1960s and 1970s saw an almost inflationary increase.

These substances were also increasingly used by female athletes.

It is estimated that more than a million Americans take anabolic steroids, including many athletes and sportsmen of all ages, from the seasoned professional athlete to the pubescent schoolboy.

Anabolic Steroids on the Black Market

Since steroids are prescription drugs, many users turned towards the black market looking for anabolic steroids for sale online without a prescription. This made the black market has developed.

One of the reasons for the increasing use of anabolic-androgenic steroids purchased on the black market is the growing popularity of bodybuilding.

When bodybuilding emerged from obscurity as a subculture sport in the 1970s, steroids also became more popular. In the 1980s, when bodybuilding became more widely available, so did steroids.

Steroid use has increased in direct proportion to the popularity of bodybuilding. This opened a door for an impressive number of underground labs to appear as to satisfy the demand for buying steroids without a prescription.

The recent popularity of designer steroids shows that athletes are becoming more keen on things that help them achieve their goals faster.

Another category of performance-enhancing drugs are the peptides which human growth hormone is part of. If growth hormones were available at a reasonable price, they would be as widely used as steroids.

Anabolic Steroids are not a magical pill.

Despite all this, steroids are not a miracle cure, as their effectiveness depends on external factors such as training, diet, attitude and the genetic predisposition of the individual.

The last point in particular will determine how the athlete responds to the intake of anabolic-androgenic steroids and how the organism copes with their administration.