Anabolic steroids in sport

What are the Anabolic Steroids?

Anabolic steroids are the steroid hormones with primary biological effect to intensify protein biosynthesis. Naturally, testosterone achieves the anabolic effect, but for the therapy purpose a series of semisynthetic derivatives have been developed. These are relatively related structures, derivatives of androstane and the testosterone, which in addition to anabolic also manifest androgenic effect. Because of that some of the anabolic steroids are used for treating delayed puberty in boys and hypogonadism.

Anabolic therapy is also indicated after major surgery and in patients with HIV infection which causes muscle mass loss. Rarely, they are also used for the growth enhancing in children with growth disorders and stimulating the bone marrow.

The Application of Anabolic Steroids in Sport

Anabolic steroids are the subject of abuse by recreational and professional athletes, who take them in order to increase muscle mass. It isn’t secret that athletes, weightlifters, bodybuilders, cyclists, swimmers and others use these products to improve their sports achievements. Unfortunately, most people due to lack of information do not believe that sports success may be product of good training, nutrition and rest.

Besides that, a large percentage of users are not even serious athletes, but young people in the gym that overnight want to achieve results that naturally take years. Steroids are taken without medical supervision and control and its use is based on imported knowledge of "mates who had already taken them" and often dubious articles from a newspapers or magazines. Later health consequences can be extremely difficult and even deadly. Also, there is a problem about substance producing, because the majority of these products are no longer produced by the pharmaceutical industry but laboratories which legality is debatable.

Anabolic steroids are on the list of illegal substances and their detection in athletes withdraws strict punitive measures. The war between the manufacturer of these products and anti-doping laboratories is a constant game of cat and mouse. A large number of existing products is still not detectable in tests and new products are created to bypass the list of illegal substances.

The effects of anabolic steroids can be anabolic and androgenic. Anabolic effects include increased protein synthesis, increasing muscle strength and mass, appetite improving and increased production of red blood cells. Androgenic effects in women manifest through clitoral hypertrophy, increased hairiness, breast reduction, voice deepening, increased libido, missing or cessation of menstrual cycles.

The most common anabolic steroids include Testosterone "attached" to the esters such as enanthate, cypionate, propinate or dissolved in oil or water), Dianabol (Methandrostenolon), Nandrolone (Nor-testosterone), Boldenone (Equipoise), Winstrol (Stanozolol) Androl-50 (Oxymetholone) Anavar (Oxandrolone), Halotestin (Fluoxymesterone), Fina (Trenbolone) and so on.