Anabolic Steroids Case Study

The Usage of Anabolic Steroids
1. In case of muscles, hypertrophy is a process that is characterized by increasing of muscle cross-sectional area and mass. Changes primarily happen because of cells growth, rather than an increase in their number. There are several mechanisms that cause the hypertrophy of skeletal muscles. “The first measurable effect is an increase in the neural drive stimulating muscle contraction” (“Hypertrophy”). The process also includes the genetic response and protein synthesis. The Hypertrophy includes the activation of the family of immediate-early genes that “appear to dictate the contractile protein gene response” (“Hypertrophy”). All these processes are activated by exercises and usage of such drugs as anabolic steroids.
2. This type of medication contains “synthetic substances related to the male sex hormones (e.g., testosterone)” (“Anabolic Steroid Abuse”). They are prescribed by doctors to people with the lack
Steroids cause the growth of muscle tissues and development of male sex characteristics. These drugs can prevent the formation of breast tumors, like the Nolvadex do. There are other physiological effects of short term and long term anabolic steroid use. The first list includes “acne… shrunken testicles, hair loss, difficulty or pain in urinating, increased risk of prostate cancer, and development of breasts” (“Short and Long Term Effects”). Women often experience changes in their menstrual cycle, decreasing of breasts size and levels of body fat and excessive growth of facial and body hair. Effects of long term use of anabolic steroids include severe forms of acne, “fluid retention, high blood pressure, increased risk of blood clotting, increase in bad cholesterol, decrease in good cholesterol, jaundice, liver cysts and cancer, and kidney cancer” (“Short and Long Term Effects”). Drugs also affect the reproductive system, as studies show the usage of anabolic steroids increases the frequency of erectile dysfunction’s