Anabolic steroids - more properly termed anabolic-androgenic steroids - are synthetic derivatives of testosterone - the hormone that makes a man a man.
Testosterone has two different kinds of effects on the body: androgenic (development of male genitals, growth of body and facial hair, and deepening of voice) and anabolic (increased bone and muscle mass). While all steroids have androgenic and anabolic effects, some synthetic steroids have been developed with minimal androgenic effects.
Anabolic steroids work by helping the body's muscle cells produce more protein which, as long as the athletes works out, leads to increased muscle size and strength and, at the same time, also allows the body to produce more ATP, the "fuel" muscles need to move.
Oral versus injectable
Steroids are taken orally (pill) or through injection, usually in the upper outer quadrant of the buttocks. Some athletes, however, have been known to inject specific sites hoping to increase muscle size and/or strength in that area. Unfortunately, this strategy does not work and can damage the injection site.
Cycling and stacking
"Cycling" describes the use of steroids for certain specific time intervals: such as 12 weeks on, 6 weeks off, and then another 12 weeks on.
"Stacking" refers to the use of multiple steroids at one time. Many users will take a combination of oral and injectable steroid with the hope of enhancing their effects.
Steroid development
Scientists first isolated and chemically characterized anabolic steroids in the 1930's. During World War II, the Germans were rumored to have given their troops steroids to increase aggressiveness. In the 1950's, an American physician and weightlifter, John Zigler discovered that Russian weightlifters were using steroids. He developed a synthetic steroid, using himself as the guinea pig. When Zigler wrote about his discovery in popular bodybuilding magazines, the steroid craze began.
Proper steroid use
Steroids are appropriately used in replacement therapy for those who do not produce enough testosterone naturally, and the treatment of certain cancers and anemias, malnutrition, "wasting" diseases like tuberculosis, and burn victims. Steroids should not be used to treat sprained muscles and ligaments [1].
Types of steroids
There are different types of steroids. The steroid that your mother or grandmother takes for arthritis is not the same as the steroids athletes take. Unlike anabolic steroids, these steroids probably contain cortisone or a cortisone derivative like prednisone, which decrease inflammation and are used for many conditions like arthritis. They have none of the muscle building or masculinizing effects of anabolic steroids. However, cortisone and its derivatives are not without there own serious side effects.
Growth hormones are not steroids
Growth hormone is naturally produced by the human pituitary gland, and is available synthetically from several companies. It is not a steroid. In children it is responsible for the growth of all tissues, organs, glands, bone, muscle, etc. In adults it is still secreted but in a much smaller amount. It is closely tied to the function of insulin, the hormone that pulls sugar from the blood. Athletes like former NFL star Lyle Alzado, who died from taking steroids and growth hormone, take growth hormone with the hope of increasing muscle size and strength. There are no scientific studies showing that human growth hormone has any performance enhancing effects at all. All evidence is anecdotal.
The only medical use of growth hormone is in replacement therapy in growth hormone-difficient children. There are no substances that one can take to elevate growth hormone "naturally" although many claims are made. Side effects may include changes seen in the disease Acromegaly (like Andre the Giant, and "Jaws" from the James Bond movies). This is a disease where the pituitary gland secretes too much growth hormone. The fingers, toes, facial bones, and skull become enlarged and the skin becomes coarse. One's lifespan is shortened and the heart and kidney increase in size.
There is no test available to detect usage in athletes, although one is being developed and may be ready in time for the 2004 Athens Olympics. Human growth hormone is a very dangerous drug and it is thankfully difficult to procure. There is a big black market out there but almost all of the supposed growth hormone is not the real thing.
Creatine is not a steroid
Creatine or creatine monohydrate is a protein made from amino acids. Our body produces about a gram of creatine each day, and another gram is ingested each day in meat and fish. Creatine has been taken as a supplement in the U.S. since 1992; the Russians and other Eastern Bloc countries have used it for more than 20 years.
Athletes take creatine with the hope of getting stronger. Studies have shown positive results with minimal side effects. The American College of Sports Medicine hosted a roundtable discussion by several top scientists interested in creatine. They reported in their abstract that "there is no definitive evidence that creatine supplementation causes gastrointestinal, renal, and/or muscle cramping complications."
Preventing steroid use
Preventing steroid use is difficult. Obviously, offering alternatives is one very effective way. Interdiction by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) has helped. Education is important. But steroid use will continue until there is a change in societal values. Paradoxically, we reward athletes who perform at extraordinary levels yet we condemn those same athletes for using steroids and other drugs to reach these levels. There will not be progress until the quickest way to the top is no longer seen as the best, until winning is no longer seen as the only thing.
Links:
[1] https://mail.momsteam.com/node/284
[2] https://mail.momsteam.com/sports/football-tackle/safety/anabolic-steroids-your-childs-road-to-the-gold-or-to-the-grave