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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