Anabolic steroids
Anabolic steroids - it's
pharmacological agents that mimic the action of male sex hormone -
testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. Anabolic steroids accelerate
protein synthesis within the cell, which leads to pronounced muscle
hypertrophy (in general, this process is called anabolism), whereby
they are widely used in body building. The action of anabolic
steroids is conventionally divided into two areas: Anabolic activity
and androgenic activity. The word "anabolic" comes from the
Greek "anabolein", which translates to "step up",
the word "androgenic" comes from the words "andros"
and "genein", which translates as "to make a man."
synonyms
Anabolic steroids have
many synonyms:
- anabolics
- androgens
- AC (abbr. Anabolic Steroids)
- AAS (abbr. Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids - the official name of the foreign literature)
- steroids
- Vitamins (slang name in bodybuilding)
- Chemistry (slang name in bodybuilding)
- Pharma (slang name in bodybuilding)
The history of anabolic
steroids
The use of anabolic
steroids dates back to their identification and isolation. Medical
use of an extract of testicles of animals began in the late 19th
century. In 1931, Adolf Butenandt managed to isolate 15 mg of
androstenone 10,000 liters of urine. This anabolic steroid was in
consequence of Leopold Ruzicka synthesized in 1934.
In the 1930s it was
already known that the eggs contained in the extract more potent
anabolic steroid than androstenone. Three teams of scientists funded
by the three competitive pharmaceutical companies from different
countries: the Netherlands, Switzerland and Nazi Germany began to
search for more powerful components. For example, in May 1935, Karoly
Gyula David, E. Dingemanse, J. Freud and Ernst Laqueur succeeded in
isolating crystalline testosterone. Hormone got its name from its
origin: the dough - egg, sterol - steroid structure, and the end-on,
which suggests that the substance is a ketone.
The chemical synthesis of
testosterone from cholesterol was produced in the same year,
Butenandt and G. Hanisch. Within a week after the event, the third
group Ruzicka and A. Wettstein has made an application for a patent
of a new method of chemical synthesis of testosterone. Ruzicka and
Butenandt received for his invention, the Nobel Prize in 1939.
Clinical trials in humans,
including oral administration of methyltestosterone or injections of
testosterone propionate, began in 1937.
The first mention of an
anabolic steroid in the power sports history dates back to
1938, when it comes to
testosterone propionate in a letter to the editor of Strength and
Health. There are rumors that in Nazi Germany anabolic steroids used
by soldiers in order to increase aggression and stamina, but at
present these facts have no official confirmation. However, he Adolf
Hitler received injections of anabolic steroids, according to his
personal doctor. Anabolic steroids are used by the Nazis in
experiments on concentration camp inmates. In other countries, the
anabolic steroids used in the treatment and recovery of depleted
prisoners who have been released from the camps.
Modern history
Improvement
of anabolic properties of testosterone was carried out in the 1940s
in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries such as East Germany,
where anabolic steroids have been applied to improve the performance
of Olympic weightlifters. In response to the success of Russian
weightlifters, the U.S. Olympic team doctor, Dr. John Ziegler, began
working with chemists to develop an anabolic steroid with lesser
androgenic activity, resulting in methandrostenolone was obtained. A
new drug has been approved by the FDA in 1958. Most often it is
prescribed for the treatment of severe burns, and the elderly, but
most of methandrostenolone consumed in bodybuilding and other
strength sports. Dr. John Ziegler appointed only a small dose for
athletes, but then he noticed that the athletes who exceed the dosage
occurred hypertrophy of the prostate and testicular atrophy.
In
1976, anabolic steroids were banned by the International Olympic
Committee, this completes the story of their legitimate use in sport,
and 10 years after the tests have been developed for the
determination of anabolic steroids in urine.
Search for new anabolic
steroids
Currently,
the variety of anabolic steroids and their modification is based on
four main ideas:
Alkylation
at position 17 alpha-methyl or ethyl group, to prevent destruction of
drugs in the liver, which makes it possible in oral tablet form.
Esterification
in the beta position 17 which makes a fat-soluble drug, and can
create tissue depot that resolves a long time, thereby significantly
increasing the duration of action (several months) anabolic agent.
Changing
the anabolic steroid ring structure relates to oral and parenteral
formulations, due to the desire to increase the anabolic index.
Changes
in the structure, which prevents the conversion of steroids into
estrogen.
The mechanism of action
of steroids
The
mechanism of action of anabolic steroids is not similar to the action
of peptide hormones. Once in the blood, the steroid molecules are
dispersed throughout the body, where they react with the cells of the
skeletal muscles, sebaceous glands, hair follicles, certain areas of
the brain and some endocrine glands. Anabolic steroids are
fat-soluble and therefore may penetrate the cell membrane, consisting
of a fat; intracellularly anabolic steroids react (bind) with the
androgen receptor nucleus and cytoplasm. Activate androgen receptors
transmit the signal into the cell nucleus, resulting in changes of
gene expression or activates processes which send signals to other
parts of the cell. The result is a stimulation of the synthesis of
nucleic acid species and starts the formation of new molecules of the
protein.
The effect
of anabolic steroids on the growth of muscle mass due to the
following mechanisms:
acceleration
of protein synthesis
reducing
recovery time
reducing
the influence of catabolic hormones (cortisol, and others.)
displacement
of cell differentiation in the direction of the muscle, reducing the
formation of fat cells
accelerating
metabolic reactions, thereby degrades fats
The
effects of anabolic steroids
The
effects of anabolic steroids are divided into two main categories:
anabolic and androgenic.
Anabolic
effects:
- A significant increase in lean body mass (5-10 kg per month)
- Strength increase
- Increase stamina and performance
- Increase in the number of red blood cells
- Strengthening bone
- Reduction of body fat
Androgenic
effects:
- masculinization
- virilescence
- Prostate Hypertrophy
- testicular atrophy
- Loss of hair on the head, and the activation of growth on the face and body
- What shows that pursued only in bodybuilding anabolic effects. Currently under development steroids, which have a pronounced anabolic and low androgenic effect. The indicator, which reflects the ratio is called the anabolic index. At the moment, nearly all anabolic androgenic steroids have pronounced effects.
Additional
effects:
- increased appetite
- Loss of sense of fear
- Increased self-confidence and self-esteem
- Improving communication skills
- Increased sex drive
The
side effects of anabolic steroids
Read
the main article: The side effects of steroids and how to reduce the
harm steroids
In
the following list of side effects are listed according to frequency
of occurrence.
During
the course:
- Irritability or "steroid rage"
- Increased blood pressure
- Acne (acne)
- Increased libido (in some cases regarded as a useful effect)
- Depression
- Retention
- Increased cholesterol levels (as a result - atherosclerosis)
- Gynecomastia (cause only anabolic steroids, which are converted into estrogen or those with progestin activity - trenbolone and nandrolones)
- Masculinization in women
- Liver (peculiar to those drugs that have a methyl group in position 17 alpha)
- Seborrhea
- Hypertrophy of myocardial ischemia
- Stunting at a young age
- Hair loss (very rare)
After
the course:
- Decreased libido
- Impotence
- Addictive (obsessive desire to repeat the course)
- Reduced sperm production
- Infertility
- Testicular atrophy (in overdose and long courses)
- Depression
- Almost all of the side effects are reversible, except in cases of abuse. The same pattern is largely determined complications pharmacological profile of the drug, some more secure than others. Modern drugs are virtually no side effects or complications if taken as instructed.
The
mythical danger of steroids
Despite
the diversity of the side effects of anabolic steroids, it should be
noted that at present the information about them is greatly
exaggerated. In the press and on television often heard that taking
anabolic steroids leads to the inevitable infertility, impotence,
liver damage, and so on, when in fact even excessive doses of
steroids do not always lead to irreversible consequences. In
addition, it is necessary to distinguish between the concept of "use"
and "abuse." So, taking anabolic steroids according to the
instructions in the 95% did not cause any complications or side
effects, 4% more side effects are fully reversible, hence it is clear
that in reality the risk of complications is very low. The abuse
involves taking steroids in high doses or excessive duration of the
course. In this situation, the risk of side effects increases
considerably, thus increasing the frequency of irreversible
complications. Typically, the media steroids appear on the background
of "abuse", so they create a false picture of the extreme
dangers of the use of anabolic steroids.
Avoiding
side effects
Do
not exceed the recommended dose
Do
not combine several anabolic steroids, if it is not provided by the
course
Do
not exceed the duration of the course
Women
do not take anabolic steroids, or choose from a drug with a high
anabolic index.
Do
not use anabolic steroids at the age of 21
Be
sure to include a rehabilitation course after taking steroids, it
will significantly reduce or prevent many of the side effects.
These
recommendations can reduce the incidence of side effects up to 1% or
below, and keep to gain muscle mass and results.
Anabolic
steroids in bodybuilding
Anabolic
steroids can be used in bodybuilding is primarily intended to
increase muscle mass and strength gains. Furthermore, steroids help
maintain muscle mass and drying work on terrain contribute to
increased performance training by enhancing stamina and strength.
Combination
At
a set of muscle anabolic steroids should be combined with the
systematic weight training, high-calorie diet and sports nutrition.
From sports nutrition simultaneously with steroids desirable to use
the protein in large quantities, since it requires to build its own
proteins can moreover take creatine, vitamin-mineral complex, as well
as additives to restore hormonal system after a course of anabolic
steroids.