Muscle-building drugs in the form of pills, injections or functional foods are widely advertised with the "miraculous" effect of helping to gain muscle quickly, saving training time.
However, in reality, these muscle-building products lack medical control, and are often used by individuals on their own, posing a great risk to their health. Without the guidance of a doctor or sports expert, many young people have encountered unpredictable dangers when using unsafe drugs.
Drugs of unknown origin pose a health risk
Muscle-building drugs are also known as anabolic steroids. These are hormones that are similar to androgens - male sex hormones in the body. There are more than 100 variations of anabolic steroids. The most powerful androgen is testosterone.
Testosterone helps build muscle and form male characteristics that develop during puberty, such as a deep voice and the growth of body hair. Both men and women have testosterone produced in their bodies: in men in the testicles, in women in the ovaries and other tissues.
Anabolic steroids were developed in the 1930s to treat hypogonadism, a condition in which the testicles do not produce enough testosterone.
The drug is currently prescribed to treat steroid hormone deficiencies, such as delayed puberty and some forms of impotence. It is also prescribed to combat the loss of muscle mass caused by diseases such as some cancers and HIV infection.
In medicine, anabolic steroids are prescribed for intramuscular or subcutaneous injection, oral administration, or as gels applied to the skin. In fact, most people use injections or oral administration for muscle gain purposes.
Common oral steroids are: Oxymetholone, oxandrolone, methandrostenolone, stanozolol. Injectable steroids include: Nandrolone decanoate, testosterone cypionate…
Recently, when the need to improve appearance is emphasized, steroid trading is becoming more and more popular and simpler, and can even be found on social networking sites and e-commerce platforms without a medical prescription.
Combining steroids with regular exercise and a high protein diet will increase protein synthesis, thereby promoting rapid growth in skeletal muscle size and strength.
Additionally, steroids are believed to reduce recovery time between workouts, allowing users to train harder and thus further improve strength and endurance. Some believe that non-athletes also use steroids to increase their endurance, muscle size and strength, while also reducing body fat.
Le Kien (born in 2001, Hanoi) shared: “Steroid injections are used by many young people, not everyone has a medical degree, but mostly they use them on their own. When using steroids, muscle gains are quick, saving training time.”
Fitness trainer Ngoc Minh said: “Most people who use steroid injections or oral steroids must have a sports expert accompany them and do not use them on their own. As for oral supplements, many people use them.”
Using steroids is a double-edged sword, fast but harmful
Andrology experts around the world have confirmed that the use of exogenous Testosterone is a double-edged sword. This drug is only used to treat special medical conditions and must strictly follow the dosage and instructions of a specialist.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), using exogenous Testosterone increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and death in men by 30%.
Associate Professor, Dr. Vo Tuong Kha - Head of the Department of Sports Medicine (University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) said that many young athletes or bodybuilders have complications such as liver damage, cardiovascular disease, and endocrine disorders due to the use of rapid muscle-building drugs.
There are cases of high-intensity, long-term bodybuilding and gym training, combined with high intake of creatine and protein, leading to rhabdomyolysis, microcytosis, protein, increased creatinine, blood urea, increased potassium... leading to acute kidney failure requiring dialysis.
Whey protein is a product used by many bodybuilders every day, using too much whey protein can lead to kidney overload. In addition, it also increases acne and nutritional imbalance.
In particular, exogenous testosterone also has a negative impact on male physiological and reproductive functions. Statistics show that 90% of men who supplement exogenous testosterone have a serious decrease in sperm count, due to inhibiting the release of FSH and Luteinizing hormone from the pituitary gland. In women, steroids can cause masculinization, deepening of the voice and increased body hair growth.
Prolonged use of anabolic steroids or precursors can cause liver damage, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and hormonal imbalance.
