Anabolic Steroids 2 Essay, Research Paper
Most people have the goal and dream to have the perfect body.
They believe they will be more popular, or attractive if they achieve the
body that they desire. But what lengths will people go to, to get the
perfect body. The biggest problem in sports today, as many people
know, is steroids. Steroids do wonders for your body, but not only on the
positive side, but the negative side as well. In this essay, I will tell you how
steroids are used and what different effects it has on the body.
Today more than ever, steroids are being abused. It is estimated
that 99% of all professional bodybuilders are using steroids. Teenagers
know that steroids will help them build muscle but they don t know about
the side-effects and the long-term effects. Teenagers have a hard time
looking ahead into the near future, never mind much later in their lives.
But society continues to tell the youths of today that society wants
muscular physiques. Pick up any teen or muscle magazine and
everybody inside will have a perfect sculpted body. There are people
that have a hard time working out or have no motivation. When they see
someone using steroids that hardly ever lifts and are getting massive
strength, obviously the nonuser is going to be curious of using steroids.
The number one common mistake of steroids is using excessive
dosages. More is not always better when is comes to using steroids. Using
excessive dosages has become a big problem for teenagers. This
practice is not only dangerous, but is proven to be ineffective. Mega
dosages put a lot of stress on the liver and kidneys. The body can only use
a limited amount of the steroid, so if an athlete uses an excessive amount,
the body will turn the left over steroids into estrogen.
Another mistake that commonly occurs is a poor lifestyle. Many
people never pay attention to articles that involve healthy eating, mainly because people like eating food that is not good for them, but it really
does matter. When on steroids, the user must eat enormous amounts of
food, which is high in protein and calories. Many athletes do not eat
enough food to get steroids to work off, if they do eat enough calories,
they often eat to much fat. If a person is going to take steroids they must
understand that proper nutrition is part of the program. Another key to
achieving the best results, which many people ignore is getting large
amounts of rest. A steroid user should have a minimal 10 hours of sleep a
night.
The last mistake people make when using steroids is the type of
steroids they use. Plain and simple, the more effective the steroid, the
more side effects that go with it. If a person curious in steroids wants a
body builder physique, they will be looking for something very effective,
but also has to think about the side effects. Strong steroids and very toxic
to the liver, kidneys, and heart, and should not be taken for a very long
time. The mistakes people make is that they look at how powerful the
steroid is and don t look at the side effects. Another problem with steroids
is counterfeits. Many of these drugs have the side effects of real steroids
but not the positive effect. Using a fake steroid is like putting poison into
your body. The best thing to do is get the steroids from someone you
know, or someone you can trust.
There are many side effects of taking steroids. The side effects are
Water retention, Acne, Gynecomastia, Aggression, Hypertension,
Cardiovascular Disease, Palpitations, Impotence, Jaundice, Irritation of
the stomach lining, Menstrual changes, eye changes, osteoporosis,
premature hair loss, and headaches. I will explain these side effects in the
next few paragraphs:
-Water retention is the most common from using steroids. It causes a
puffiness or swelling in the neck and facial areas. You can tell if you know
the person is on steroids.
-Acne is also a very common side effect. It can make someone get acne
if you have never had it before and if you do have acne it will be much
worse. Acne will show up in unusual places like on the back of your neck
and your shoulders.
-Gynecomastia is the formation of breasts, or abnormally large glands.
You will eventually grow fatty tissue (lumps) which will grow in size.
-Aggression is usually known as roid rages. Some steroid users usually lift
more are have more intense workouts when going through this stage.
Others find themselves fighting with family and friends.
-Hypertension is high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to
many more serious diseases so that is why you should get your blood
tested regularly.
-Cardiovascular Disease is a risk factor for heart disease. Over a period of
time cholesterol (fats and amino acids) build up and clogs the arteries.
-Palpitations indicate an excited or elevated level of the central nervous
system.
-Impotence usually occurs when a user goes on and off steroids. When
steroids are first used sexual interest increases but eventually after going
on and off steroids the opposite happens.
-Jaundice is a serious liver disease, which is found by an enlarged liver,
yellowing of the eyes and skin and flu-like symptoms.
-Irritation of the stomach lining can cause a stomach ulcer.
-Menstrual changes- Women may notice that there period will become
irregular.
-Eye changes- with a long-term use of steroids cataracts or glaucoma
may develop.
-Osteoporosis- Calcium will begin to be lost from the bones. This will result
in pain and loss of height.
The long-term effects of steroids haven t been studies yet. Listed above
are some of the short-term effects that steroids can have on your body.
On the other hand, there are some acceptable reasons why you
should take steroids. They are: 1) to replace a documented androgen
deficiency, 2) to treat anemia associated with bone marrow failure, and
3) to treat an illness called hereditary angioedema. Steroids lessen the
risks of getting these diseases getting worse.
If a person is considering steroids they must look at the big picture.
Taking steroids is not as simple as people believe, there are many aspects
that must be put into consideration before taking the drug. To receive the
best results the person should know everything they can about the
specific steroid, what they plan on accomplishing, and lastly they should
ask them self, Is it really worth it?
Chemistry of Steroids
Steroids are composed of seventeen carbon atoms arranged in
four rings. Anabolic steroids belong to the group of natural and synthetic
organic chemical reactions. Steroids play a large role in the fields of
biology and chemistry.
All anabolic steroids are chemical derivatives of the male sex
hormone, testosterone. Due to the testosterone s short biological half-life,
pharmacological use requires the steroid be modified to slow metabolism
by the liver.
Anabolic steroids work by binding with the cytoplasmic (free
within the cell) androgen receptor. Like all steroids, the steroid-receptor
complex has a strong affinity for the nucleus. The complex is translocated
into the nucleus and binds to the DNA. The rate limiting factor in this
process appears to be the concentration of the steroid or translocation of
the complex. Testosterone also appears to inhibit the catabolic (protein
degrading) pathway associated with the glucocorticoids, but it is unclear
whether this is related to an interaction between testosterone and
glucocorticoid or the nuclear behavior of the steroid-receptor complex.
Once the steroid is in the nucleus it appears to enhance transcription of
specific genes. The resulting mRNA is processed and sent out of the
nucleus, resulting in increased protein synthesis. Testosterone effects are
generally broken down into two classes: Anabolic and Androgenic. Both
appear to result from the same signaling pathway as there are no
proteins with anabolic effects independent of androgenic effects.
The adrenal gland is a vital organ situated in humans which is
located on top of the upper end of each kidney which naturally produces
three kinds of steroids. The adrenal gland has two different parts: the
medulla and the cortex. The medulla is composed of chromaffin and
maintains normal blood circulation. The cortex separates about thirty
steroid hormones in large amounts.
The three major kinds of steroids are Aldosterone, Cortisone and
Androgen. Aldosterone regulates the salt and water balance in the body.
Cortisone regulates fat, carbohydrates, and protein. Also, Cortisone has
anti-flammatory, which helps people with asthma. Androgen is the worst
kind of steroid you can take. It caused liver cancer and is extremely
dangerous to take although it helps increase muscle mass a lot faster than
any other kind of steroid.
Anabolic steroids were developed in the 1930 s when they were
used to rebuild the body weight of concentration camp survivors. Then
they were introduced to the United States in the 1960 s for the medical
use in the building body tissues, treating disorders, and promoting weight
gain in children. Today anabolic steroids are used mostly to treat
osteoporosis, breast cancer, and certain forms of anemia. Steroids can
be taken either orally or injected.
Anabolic steroids can be useful if you use them in the right way, but
at the same time they can be very harmful to your body. I suggest you
take them only if your physician subscribes them to you. Don t just take
steroids so you can be the best at what you do. Work up to your goal,
don t use drugs to make you do better.
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