Anabolic steroids are used by sportsmen, especially bodybuilders and strength athletes, to build solid muscles in short time. They are synthetic hormones capable of promoting the processes of protein retention and tissue growth.

But use of steroids can result in side effects when they are abused or of a low quality and these side effects may vary from depression to psychological changes and from increased aggression to infertility.

From Topics.nytimes.com:

Steroids came to weight lifting in Russia during the 1950s, and to America by 1960. By the end of the decade, other elite athletes had discovered the drugs. For nearly two decades, starting in the late 1960s, East German women dominated the international sports stage, aided by an organized system of anabolic steroid use. Despite strong testing procedures, steroid-related scandal has continued to follow the Olympic Games, the Tour de France and major professional sports.

Not all revelations of steroid use are accompanied by outrage. An admitted former user of steroids, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is governor of California. Professional wrestling, where steroid use has been widely documented, has been a ratings leader on cable television for years.

Like every other thing in this world, steroids can have bad effects but only when abused and the best way out is using them under medical guidance and for legal purposes.

Posted in Steroids