Recently, the world of body building has increased in popularity worldwide. Social media has played a major role in this development. The more people get criticized about their physique, the more people will care about looks and physical appearance. Thus, bodybuilding appeared to be the perfect solution to successfully fulfill social norms and get rid of critiques.
Nutritional supplements such as protein powder, amino acids, Anabolic steroids have become very popular among non professional and professional athletes who aim to show off an extraordinary physique. The use of anabolic steroids increases the lean muscular mass. The most relevant secondary effects included: increased transaminase serum levels, change in the lipid profile and suppression of the hypothalamus pituitary gland-gonad axis. The inclusion of testosterone did not increase the lean muscular mass (Iñigo, 2000). Anabolic steroids tend to be very effective, but: Do the benefits outweigh the negative consequences? Does having bigger muscles ensures better life? Do we know all of the negative effects this family of steroids do to our bodies?
Many of these questions remain unanswered, and it is exactly why it is still a very controversial dilemma among athletes.
A different somewhat regulated or known way to gain muscle mass and improve the physique, is the use of testosterone enanthate on muscular strength and power (Rogerson, 2007). The use of testosterone as a way to improve the physique is being normalized and athletes who consume this are still considered natural. Natural refers to those bodybuilders that have not used illegal or steroid products to increase muscle mass. However, testosterone is legally classified as an anabolic steroid hormone. A type of hormones that we have discussed in previous paragraphs. There is a lot of a gray area among diet supplements and substances to help bodybuilders improve. Agencies like the FDA should be part of this industry and regulate the ingredients used to develop these substances. Until that happens, many athletes are causing harm to their bodies while thinking they are doing the complete opposite.
Governmental agencies should have the final say of what is considered natural and what is not. Regulation of this controversial topic would allow many athletes to improve their active lifestyles without putting themselves in danger. Thus, we would have a better and healthier athlete community in our society.
Iñigo, M. A., Arrimadas, E., & Arroyo, D. (2000). Estudio de 43 ciclos de tratamiento con anabolizantes esteroideos en deportistas: usos y efectos secundarios [43 cycles of anabolic steroid treatment studied in athletes: the uses and secondary effects]. Revista clinica espanola, 200(3), 133–138.
Rogerson, S., Weatherby, R. P., Deakin, G. B., Meir, R. A., Coutts, R. A., Zhou, S., & Marshall-Gradisnik, S. M. (2007). The effect of short-term use of testosterone enanthate on muscular strength and power in healthy young men. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 21(2), 354–361. https://doi.org/10.1519/R-18385.1
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