Anabolic Steroid Analysis

When talking about steroids, people often refer to Anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids are a synthetic substance related to the male sex hormone (testosterone). Anabolic steroids have androgenic properties that include the development of masculine characteristics such as the growth of vocal cords, testicles and body hair. Anabolic steroids are used as performance enhancing drugs to advance the ability to do work and exercise but there are complications of using anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids help the development of lean muscle growth as steroids increase protein synthesis and reduce nitrogen excretion, which leads to increased muscle mass. Steroids also promote the change of the male characteristics. Anabolic steroids can be taken either orally or as an injection, which is more common, as taking steroids in pill form is more dangerous since most oral steroids are toxic to the liver. (Drug Abuse, 2006) Steroids are injected using a needle and injected directly into the muscle. Injectable steroids are administered into the muscle instead of the vein, to circumvent unexpected changes in the quantity of the drug in the bloodstream. After injected, the body then absorbs the liquid and the compound enters the systemic circulation. The absorption rate also varies on the user. (CESAR, 2014)

There are different ways of using steroids.

Cycling and stacking are two common ways to using steroids. Steroids are taken in cycles with injections followed by a stage of rest; this is done to reduce side effects. When you are using steroids you are considered to be “on-cycle” and when you are resting you are considered to be “off-cycle”. Stacking is when steroid users use more than one type of steroid at a time. It is believed that if you use two or more types of steroids at a time increases the efficiency of each. (Medicine Net,

2011)

What is the history of steroids?
The history of steroids can be traced back to the ancient Olympic games but anabolic steroids only got a worldwide audience in the 20th century. Early athletes were known to consume animal testicles before either a competition for an extended period of time. The true beginning of modern steroids goes back to 1931, to a German chemist, Adolf Butenandt. Adolf Butenandt found a way to cleanse the hormone Androstenone, by removing the hormone from urine. This was done by purifying thousands of litres of urine and sweat. This was a huge achievement but only the beginning of Anabolic steroids. (Steroid, 2014)

After Adolf made a breakthrough, another German chemist by the name of Leopold Ruzicka, advanced a way to synthesise the hormone so it was safe for human usage. After both of Adolf and Leopold’s breakthroughs, they teamed up and made the first batch of Anabolic steroids. The research didn’t stop there; in the 1940’s the Soviet Union ordered the first injections of Anabolic steroids to their athletes, which led them to dominate in the Olympics. During the 1952 Olympics, `the Russian weightlifting team had won many gold medals as they were under the influence of synthetic testosterone to boost their weightlifting strength. The way we observe anabolic steroids today was very different to the way the world perceived it in 1939 as back then steroids were an acceptable drug that could be experimented with. Where as now steroids are illegal and frowned upon in sport due to their side effects.

In 1958, a U.S Olympic team doctor, by the name of John Ziegler worked with chemists to develop a new testosterone to use as a performance enhancer. Doing this they had came up with Dianabol which was a drug that could be taken orally and had the same muscle enhancing properties but also had less side effects. (Steroid, 2014)