Impact of anabolic steroids on physical health

Man with muscles lifting weights

The Anabolic steroid is a synthetic form of testosterone and the hormones used for male sex. It helps to endorse qualities that are specific to males such as enhanced hair growth, muscle strength, and a deep voice. Although there is a trace of testosterone in women, it is more specific to the male gender.

Positive impacts of Anabolic steroid

Health care providers may prescribe steroids consumptions in the following situations:

1.    Anemia accompanies chronic renal failure

According to the clinical information of medical code ICD-10-CM R64. It is a condition of involuntary weight loss that is characterized by atrophy of muscles and depletion of lean body mass. In this condition, 10 percent of body baseline weight is lost due to malnutrition.

It happens as a result of inadequate dietary intake, mal-absorption or hyper-metabolism. Anabolic steroids aid body strength enhancement by empowering muscles. It also helps to increase body mass and sustain physical health. Note: It is necessary to ask for the physician’s description before the use of these steroids because excessive use can lead to worse conditions.

2.    Breast Cancer

This ailment is defined under CPT-9 CM medical codes. These steroids are used for the cure of cancer as it helps the underlying pathology, improving metabolically active tissue compartments across the board. It also helps to recover physical health damage caused by cancerous cells. Physicians prescribe these steroids to the patients to help them regain the body mass lost due to this ailment.

3.    Treats Constitutional delay in growth

Delayed male puberty may occur in healthy boys due to a slower rate of physical development than average. It may occur due to a chronic illness, malnutrition, excessive physical exercise, and even stress. And it can cause retardation in body-growth and development.

Anabolic steroids help the abundance of such hormones that boost the male-specific characteristics to develop quickly. Physicians may suggest these steroids to help boys develop masculine traits to leverage their puberty.

4.    Refractory red cell production anemia

Anabolic steroids are very useful to maintain the production of red blood cells and help the patients to recover from anemia. It slows down the procedure of red blood production from its precursors and boosts the cell division while catalyzing the abundance of red blood cells. It fits more cell division with the help of less precursor cells.

5.    Enhance protein catabolism

Anabolic steroids like testosterone assemble androgenic hormones are also known as male hormones that may block the effects of cortisol hormones involved in tissue breakdown during and after exercise. Anabolic steroids may not allow tissue from breaking down following an intense workout. This would help consumers to recover rapidly. Cortisol and related hormones, excreted by the adrenal cortex, also have receptor sites within skeletal muscle cells. Cortisol results in protein breakdown and is excreted in the body during exercise to enhance the use of proteins for fuel and to suppress inflammation along with tissue injury.

Anabolic steroids may hinder the binding of cortisol to its receptor sites, preventing muscle breakdown while enhancing recovery. This is beneficial when an athlete is taking the drug but the effect backfires when no longer taking it. Hormonal adaptations occur in response to the abnormal amount of male sex hormones present in the athlete’s body. Cortisol receptor sites and cortisol excretion from the adrenal cortex boost up and help to enhance protein catabolism.

6.    Recover weight loss

Anabolic steroids help to recover weight loss that may occur due to therapy for chronic diseases like chemotherapy, extensive surgery, chronic infections or severe trauma. As these steroids are synthetic hormones that increase body growth and enhance muscle strength, doctors prescribe these steroids to patients to recover weight loss.

The negative impact of Anabolic steroid

Some bodybuilders and athletes consume anabolic steroids to build muscles and improve athletic performance. They may intake the steroids orally, inject them into muscles, or apply them to the skin as a gel or cream implicitly. These doses maybe 10 to 100 times higher than doses used to treat medical conditions. The consumption of these steroids without a prescription from a health care provider is illegal and unsafe.

Extra consumption of these steroids may lead to the following:

1.    Skin problems

Excessive consumption of these steroids or directly implementation of these steroids to the skin may cause numerous skin problems like acne, oiled skin and other skin issues that may affect your appearance.

2.    High blood pressure

Anabolic steroids affect the growth and development of red blood cells. The abundance of these steroids may cause issues like high blood pressure and lead to cardiovascular disorders such as heart attack or enlargement of the heart muscle. It happens due to the thickness and abnormal growth of cardiovascular muscles. This is why the steroid must be consumed according to the prescription of the physician. Not doing so may lead to death.

3.    Changes in cholesterol

It is the most fatal aspect of anabolic steroid consumption that it is not certain that it would help to gain body mass or enlighten to it to chronic level and causes muscle weakness instead of body strength.

Many people who exercise properly and consume suitable amounts of these steroids succeed in gaining body mass. But there are also some people who can’t afford the effects of these steroids. After increases in body weight at an appropriate level, they tend to bring down their body weight to an unhealthy level.

4.    Reduced metabolism

Its excessive consumption may cause fatigue, restlessness, loss of appetite sleep problems, decreased sex drive, and disturb their sexual health. It also causes steroid cravings, permitting more long-term health problems.

It also rises depression problems at a serious level and may even lead to suicide attempts. Behavioral therapy and medicines can help in treating anabolic steroid addiction.

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