Running head: ANABOLIC STEROIDS

Anabolic Steroids
Darelle Agbayani Amores
West Coast University
August 16, 2011

Anabolic Steroids
Anabolic steroids, also known as anabolic androgen steroids are drugs that were

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synthesized from a sex hormone called testosterone. Testosterone is a sex hormone that helps
develop male characteristics such as the tone of voice, psychological, and physically growth of
muscles and bones. Testosterone has the characteristics of anabolic and androgen. Androgenic
effects are properties that help develop male reproductive system. As for the anabolic system, the
properties are growth in bones and muscle mass. Androgenic and anabolic steroids are chemical
messengers. The bloodstream transports these chemical messengers to different tissues in our
bodies and psychological effects are due to the androgen part of the testosterone. This receptor is
present in many target tissues. Testosterone is mass produced in the male testis and very little of
it is produced in the female ovaries. Steroids mimic or copy the varying degrees the actions of
testosterone. (Evans-Brown 2008) In the 21st century, anabolic steroids is abused in sports such
completive bodybuilding for physical improvements such as increased muscle mass and
increased body weight or baseball for increased performance such as strength. Although anabolic
steroids may improve a persons performance it has created a tradeoff for people who abused the
steroid. It created hormonal imbalances and harmful damages to the persons organ systems.
Anabolic-androgen steroids were first discovered by a group of scientist in the 1930s.
Anabolic steroids were reported to be administered during World War II for the Nazi soldiers.
Also anabolic steroids were used in Nazi experiments and later used by the allies to treat the
victims in the Nazi concentration camps in order to restore their body composition back to
normal. The development of anabolic steroids was first pursued in the 1940s by the Soviet Union
and Germany. Dr. John Ziegler was able to develop the a improve anabolic steroid with reduced
androgenic effects in order to create less imbalances in the male reproductive system in order to
make the drug safer. In 1965, an experiment on rats on the usage of anabolic-androgen steroids
was that the increase of body mass was not to the fact of the androgen part of the steroid but the

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anabolic part of the steroid. (Hayes 1965) Anabolic steroids were at first medical intended to
treated severe burns, HIV-muscle decrease, endometriosis, damage of the myocardium,
depression, aplastic anemia(lack of red blood cells), Hypogonadism( reduced activity of teste or
ovaries, Osteoporosis, sacropenia (which is loss of muscle mass) and testosterone malfunction.
However, the steroid was abused by sport athletes due to its impressive increase in performance.
The negative side affects of anabolic steroids are acne, high blood pressure, headache and
muzziness, urethrities, reduced sexual actively dizziness and nausea.( Fred 1975) hair loss,
nose bleeds, agression, testicular atrophy, insomnia, water retention and loss of libido. (Grace
2001) In 1976, the steroid was banned by International Olympic Committee(IOC) because it
was considered cheating and later followed by major other sport committees due to its abnormal
enhancements and side affects in the human body. A person is able to diagnose himself with
anabolic steroids by using oral pills, skin patches and injection. The drug affects the person
according to several variables. These variables are sex, age, and health lifestyle. The steroid can
affect the persons sex such if youre a female, you can have a deeper voice similar to a male
because it makes a imbalance in the persons testosterone level.
Anabolic steroids affect the human body by enhancing the natural processing of muscle
building. The processes of building muscle are protein synthesis and cellular repair. Skeletal
muscles make up the muscles itself, but when a person works out these skeletal muscles, the
structure is damage. The body naturally repairs these damages and the result is the muscle
becomes larger and stronger then before. With additional workouts, the person adds bulk,
strength and speed. When a person uses anabolic steroids, muscle repair can be produced at a
abnormal higher rate than a person who is working out naturally. When a person trains intensely,
natural testosterone drops and the body releases gluco-corticoid for the swelling of the muscles

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and breaks down muscle tissue. That being stated, the normal athlete working out the traditional
way will lose muscle even when he or she is working out intensely but with anabolic steroids,
this wont be the case. Once anabolic steroids are in the persons system, testosterone is
replenished or boosted up and gluco-corticoid is disabled so that the user wont lose muscle but
gain it at a faster rate. In the testosterone chemical bound, anabolic steroids can not be
completely separated from its androgen counter-part thats why the more accurate term for
anabolic steroids can still be referred to anabolic-androgen steroids.
The modification of the testosterone to minimize its affect of androgen steroids and
increase its anabolic affects is when its A and B rings in its structural organic compound is
modified. The modifications includes such as adding an extra methyl group, attachment of a
chlorine or hydroxyl group or adding an extra double bond. The separation or reduction of
androgen is due to the fact of activity of the 5-Alpha reductases being important because its an
enzyme that is involved in steroid metabolism. The changed happen or the disassociation from
the androgen steroid occurs from the results from of the anabolic steroid. When the steroid is
taken orally, anabolic steroid has the 17 H on the steroid nucleus to prevent the deactivation of
the steroid when its consumed by our bodys metabolism. Once, the steroid hits the blood
stream, hydrolysis rapidly occurs by the action of blood esterase to yield the active
compound (anabolic steroid pill). (British Journal of Pharmacology 2011) However, if the pill
is taken orally, it can cause the user to have severe liver problems.
A review spanning more than three decades of experimental studies in men found that
body weight may increase by 25 kg as a result of short term (<10 weeks) AAS use, which may
be attributed mainly to an increase of lean mass. Animal studies also found that fat mass was
reduced, but most studies in humans failed to elucidate significant fat mass decrements. The

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effects on lean body mass have been shown to be dose dependent. Both muscle hypertrophy and
the formation of new muscle fibers have been observed. The hydration of lean mass remains
unaffected by AAS use, although small increments of blood volume cannot be ruled out.[30]
The upper region of the body (thorax, neck, shoulders and upper arm) seems to be more
susceptible for AAS than other body regions because of predominance of androgen receptors in
the upper body. The largest difference in muscle fiber size between AAS users and non-users was
observed in type I muscle fibers of the vastus lateralis and the trapezius muscle as a result of
long-term AAS self-administration. After drug withdrawal the effects fade away slowly, but may
persist for more than 612 weeks after cessation of AAS use. ( Anabolic Steroids 2011)
Anabolic steroids provide the user with an increase muscle mass or extra strength which
is not arguably a person in todays society needs or wants for a better body. However, the
negative side affects such as high blood pressure or mood alterations can be its biggest downfall.
Although anabolic steroids are banned from completive sports theyre still widely used by
athletes but on careful dosages and secretly to pass drug tests. Anabolic steroids will always be
the one of the most performance enhancers controversial issues to date.

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References
Evans-Brown, M., & McVeigh, J. (2008). An introduction to anabolic steroids. SportEX
Medicine, (38), 20-26. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Graham, M. R., Davies, B., Grace, F. M., Kicman, A., & Baker, J. S. (2008). Anabolic Steroid
Use. Sports Medicine, 38(6), 505-525. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Haff, G. (2007). Anabolic Androgenic Steroids: Part II. Strength & Conditioning Journal (Allen
Press), 29(1), 50-57. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Kicman, A. T. (2008). Pharmacology of anabolic steroids. British Journal of Pharmacology,
154(3), 502-521. doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.165
Sari, . (2010). Anabolic Androgenic of Steroids and Dependance. Journal of Physical Education
& Sport / Citius Altius Fortius, 28(4), 68-74. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.