Introduction
The human body naturally produces hormones. Steroids used as drugs are artificial hormones that mimic these natural hormones’ functions and help treat several diseases. The steroids that help in the treatment of diseases are called corticosteroid drugs. Corticosteroid drugs to reduce inflammation and treat asthma, eczema, autoimmune hepatitis, and rheumatoid arthritis. The type of steroids that are not used for treating diseases but help enhance performance and strength are known as Anabolic steroids.
What are Anabolic steroids & How do they affect the body?
Anabolic steroids are synthetic steroids that imitate the work of testosterone, a hormone which the adrenal glands in our body naturally produce. Testosterone is the male sex hormone as it helps deepen the voice, and increase facial and body hair and muscle mass. Anabolic steroid use helps to increase the performance and endurance of the body by mimicking the functions of the male sex hormone testosterone in the human body. Anabolic steroids are also performance-enhancing drugs as they help bodybuilders and athletes improve their performance. People who want to appear more muscular also use anabolic steroids to make them look more attractive and masculine. However, doctors never prescribe anabolic steroids for this purpose due to their side effects and withdrawal symptoms.
Different categories of steroids
Steroids have different categories, each of which helps control metabolism, inflammation, salt and water balance, and the development of sexual characteristics.
Glucocorticoids are anti-inflammatory drugs used to treat several conditions in the body. The human body naturally produces glucocorticoids, but sometimes these are not enough, so artificial versions compensate for the body’s needs. Glucocorticoids help to curb inflammation.
Mineralocorticoids help to regulate sodium metabolism. These promote sodium reabsorption in transporting the kidneys, salivary glands, and large intestine epithelia. However, overactivity of mineralocorticoids can cause blood pressure problems.
Androgens are steroids that have similar effects to testosterone. These can help develop and maintain masculine characteristics, including increased muscle mass, deepening of the voice and increased facial and body hair.
Estrogens are steroids used to treat hormone-sensitive cancers, for example, breast cancer and prostate cancer. These are also used as part of feminizing hormone therapy for transgender women.
Progestogens are medications that imitate the female sex hormone progesterone in the body. It helps in menopausal hormone therapy and hormonal birth control. Progestogens can also support fertility and pregnancy and treat different gynecological conditions.
What are the different types of steroid products?
Steroids are used in many forms and for the treatment of various diseases. Steroids can be used as
Injectable Steroids: These steroids help treat rheumatoid arthritis and joint problems.
Oral steroids: These steroids help to reduce inflammation and also help to treat several medical conditions, including asthma, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, adrenal insufficiency, hypopituitarism, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and also as part of treatment for various cancers.
Inhalable steroids: These steroids are inhaled into the lungs. These treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Topical steroids: These steroids are used to treat various skin conditions and are available as creams, lotions, ointments and gels. Topical steroids also include eye drops, nasal sprays and rectal foams.
How do steroids work?
The adrenal glands above our kidneys are responsible for producing hormones in our bodies. Steroids imitate the functions that these naturally produced hormones perform in our bodies.
When we consume these artificial versions of steroids more than the amount our body naturally produces, they can help to treat various conditions. These steroids help reduce inflammation and consequently can help to treat asthma and eczema. Steroids can also help to reduce the activity of the immune system. Anabolic steroids’ chemical composition is similar to testosterone and activates the body’s testosterone receptors. After the activation of these receptors, the drug helps the body in increasing muscle tissue production by imitating the functions of testosterone.
What are the benefits of taking steroids?
Apart from the use of steroids in treating numerous diseases, anabolic steroids can provide several benefits. They can help in improving the body’s strength and endurance and weight gain. They can help to increase exercise efficiency. Anabolic steroids can also help to increase the tolerance for increased-intensity training. Anabolic steroids are also helpful in reducing recovery time from injuries and muscle trauma. These can also help increase appetite. As anabolic steroids increase metabolism, they can also help to reduce body fat. Due to all these benefits provided by anabolic steroids, these steroids are becoming increasingly popular among bodybuilders and athletes to achieve their goals in a short period.
Conclusion on Anabolic steroids
Undoubtedly, anabolic steroids can help you increase performance and enhance muscle mass production. Anabolic steroids can help improve strength and stamina and aid in faster recovery from muscle injuries during workouts. But long-term use and high doses of these steroids can cause several unwanted symptoms and severely damage your health. These can cause high blood pressure and increase blood sugar levels. Anabolic steroids can also reduce the activity of the immune system. A high or low dose of these steroids also affect its side effects. These should not be used in high doses without the prescription of a medical practitioner as they can be dangerous for your body and its hormonal regulation system. Also, anabolic steroids also cause some withdrawal symptoms including loss of appetite, insomnia, restlessness, fatigue, and steroid cravings. Medical professionals should prescribe the duration of its use and dosage carefully monitored.
References
- Taves, M. D., Gomez-Sanchez, C. E., & Soma, K. K. (2011). Extra-adrenal glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids: evidence for local synthesis, regulation, and function. American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism, 301(1), E11–E24. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3275156/
- Mottram, D. R., & George, A. J. (2000). Anabolic steroids. Best practice & research clinical endocrinology & metabolism, 14(1), 55-69. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1521690X00900538
- Cole, T. J., Short, K. L., & Hooper, S. B. (2019, June). The science of steroids. In Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 170-175). WB Saunders. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1744165X19300435
