Steroids: Muscles or Moobs?

In this week's column, fitness expert Bogdan Merkes talks us through the effects of synthetic steroids on the body - with eye-opening results.

 

Steroids are defined as a group of organic compounds, each containing a common chemical structure. A wide variety of chemicals are classed as steroids, some common examples including the dietary fat cholesterol and the sex hormones oestrogen and testosterone.

A plethora of synthetic steroid compounds flood the market and range from life-saving drugs which are pivotal to modern medical practice to performance-enhancing compounds regularly abused worldwide.

This article focuses on the latter, reviewing both scientific literature and real-life experiences of short and long-term abusers. These Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS), more colloquially referred to as “roids”, are synthentic forms of the potent male sex hormone testosterone and its precursor dihydrotestosterone, and it is to this relationship that their effects are attributed.

The “good", then the very bad

“Roids” will beef you up big time, no doubt about that. The science: roids, like testosterone, stimulate myocytes (muscle cells) to crank up the rate of protein synthesis which results in muscle hypertrophy. This basically means that each muscle cell expands so that the muscle group as a whole bulges. Anabolics are most commonly abused by those seeking to enhance sports performance or improve physical aesthetics.

Numerous research projects have confirmed that the use of "roids" contributes to a significant increase in body weight in the form of lean muscle and produces huge gains in muscular strength when use is correlated with high-intensity exercise and adequate diet. So horse down the steaks, load up the barbell and admire your body transform from weedy string bean to a beefed up beast ... Grrrrrr!

After a month or so, however, that brawny bulky chest starts to sag, moobs (man-boobs) sprout, your mood fluctuates more often than your girlfriend's who, by the way, eventually ditches you because you’re not performing in the sack and before you know it you’re in and out to your GP every month and taking chemotherapeutics to tackle the side effects.

User’s confessions

As a trainer, I’ve encountered plenty of athletes and casual gym-goers happy to share their experiences so here’s a brief insight.

Naturally, since anabolics are synthetic derivatives of testosterone, the male sex hormone, the most prevalent effect confessed to me was heightened sexual appetite. All that extra testosterone coursing and bubbling through your veins sounds sweet, right? Not quite! High on the list of confessions was testicular atrophy - in other words lads' balls shrank, leaving them under-confident and self-conscious and ultimately unable to perform when an opportunity presented itself.

Equally, if not more worrying, many men reported an increase in aggressive behaviour and frustration, in certain cases resulting in physically abusive behaviour. Appearance of acne, hair loss on the scalp, excessive growth of body hair and even malfunctions of the digestive system resulting in frequent diarrhoea were also reported.

Proven side effects

Conclusive research shows that in the long-term, these effects, include harmful changes in cholesterol levels (increased LDL-cholesterol, or bad cholesterol, and decreased HDL-cholesterol), acne, high blood pressure, liver damage (mainly with oral steroids), conditions pertaining to hormonal imbalances such as gynaecomastia (i.e., man-boobs) and testicular atrophy, reduced sexual function and temporary infertility can also occur in males who persistently abuse anabolic androgenic steroids.

I have yet to hear a confession from a female abuser (yes, believe it or not, some ladies out there are getting juiced up) but research shows that most side effects evident in males also pertain to females. Similarly, some frightening female-specific effects also exist including excess body hair, permanent deepening of the voice, enlarged clitoris, and temporary or permanent alteration to menstruation. When taken during pregnancy, anabolic steroids can affect foetal maturation by causing the development of male features in the female foetus and female features in the male foetus. Not surprisingly, this has extensive long-term implications to any progeny and may even result in the birth of a child with both sex organs.

Many vulnerable and naïve youths and adolescents who get their hands on black market “roids” are also susceptible to a variety of other potential adverse effects such as premature epiphyseal fusion (early cessation of bone lengthening processes through increased levels of oestrogen metabolites) resulting in stunted growth, accelerated bone maturation, increased frequency and duration of erections and premature sexual development.

While inconclusive, psychiatric disorders such as addiction, depression and suicide have had a controversial association with long-term anabolic steroid misuse.

International Olympic Committee ban

Ergogenic uses for anabolic steroids in sports are controversial because of their adverse effects and the potential to gain an advantage i.e. "cheating." Their use is referred to as doping and they are banned by all major sporting bodies. For many years “roids” have been by far the most detected doping substances in the International Olympic Committee (IOC)-accredited laboratories. In countries where anabolic androgenic steroids are controlled substances, there is often a black market in which smuggled, clandestinely manufactured, or even counterfeit drugs are sold, placing the user in breach of the law.

It is my belief that the extensive array of potential side-effects, as outlined above, far outweighs any minimal benefit to be achieved by the abuse of anabolic steroids. If you’re an average Joe bulking up for the sake of aesthetics, think twice and consider doing it naturally. Sure, the results might not be immediate but you’ll be healthier, fitter and ultimately better-built for longer.

If you’re a sportsperson, why leave your entire career teetering on a tightrope for whatever advantage you might gain over your rival? After all, isn’t the ethos of “fair play” in sport designed to encompass the practice of a discipline within the parameters of a rule-controlled environment so that every competitor has a fair chance at the spoils in reward for honest, natural and damn hard work? Let’s face it, no pain, no gain.

[Main picture via Hairy.Jacques/Flickr Creative Commons]

Bogdan Merkes is writing a column every Wednesday until the end of September. If you want to learn more about his services check out ultimatefitcrew.com or like his page on Facebook. Check out more articles from Bogdan on his blog at bogdanmerkes.com, and you can also follow him on Twitter. All comments/questions/suggestions gratefully accepted.