Many famous athletes tested positive for anabolic steroids during the 1980s. In response, the Food and Drug Administration started banning performance-enhancing drugs in 1990. The U.S. government considered these chemicals dangerous, and it listed them as controlled substances. Athletes responded by using prohormones -- substances that trigger the release of natural hormones. Prohormones have come under increasing scrutiny by the FDA because they cause side effects. Thus, the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004 also includes prohormones.
Testosterone
Testosterone plays an important role in development and reproduction. It also contributes to anabolic processes such as muscle growth and metabolizes into androstenedione and estradiol. Testosterone might cause prostate cancer. A clinical trial published in the July 2011 edition of the "Journal of Urology" looked at the impact of the prohormone on testosterone-deficient men. Twelve months of replacement therapy increased levels of prostate specific antigen -- a warning sign for prostate cancer.
Nandrolone
The human body produces only small amounts of nandrolone. It is more well-known as a synthetic steroid. This drug facilitates the recovery of strength following knee surgery and breaks down into 19-norandrosterone and 19-nordehydrotestosterone. The latter substance causes a change comparable to that induced by testosterone. Nandrolone might have adverse effects on the body. An investigation published in the June 2011 issue of the "Journal of Applied Toxicology" tested the impact of nandrolone injections on laboratory animals. Mice given the prohormone showed permanent genetic damage in their major organs.
Stanzolol
Stanozolol remains another commonly used synthetic steroid. This prohormone has proven useful for treating skin problems and metabolizes into at least 20 active substances. Many of these metabolites have anabolic properties, but they and the parent compound might also cause side effects. A study presented in the July 2011 edition of the "Journal of Cellular Physiology" looked at the effect of stanozolol on cultured testicular cells. Exposing these cells to the prohormone increased their rate of proliferation. Such an increase is often associated with the development of tumors. These results suggest that using stanozolol could cause testicular cancer.
Methandienone
Methandienone is considered the first commercially available anabolic steroid -- it hit the market in 1958. Researchers consider methandienone a potent muscle builder, as it converts into 5-alpha-dihydromethandrostenolone, an even more potent steroid. Methandienone, however, might have toxic effects on neurons. An experiment published in the April 2011 issue of the "Journal of Neuroscience Research" tested this hypothesis using cultured nerve cells. Neurons exposed to methandienone struggled to survive and many eventually died. This finding indicates that chronic use of this prohormone could cause neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
References
- 108th U.S. Congress: Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004
- "Journal of Urology"; Changes in Prostate Specific Antigen in Hypogonadal Men After 12 Months of Testosterone Replacement Therapy; Mohit Khera, et al.; July 2011
- "Journal of Applied Toxicology"; Nandrolone Androgenic Hormone Presents Genotoxic Effects in Different Cells of Mice; Carolina Almeida do Carmo, et al.; June 2011
- "Journal of Cellular Physiology"; Nandrolone and Stanozolol Induce Leydig Cell Tumor Proliferation Through an Estrogen-Dependent Mechanism Involving IGF-I System; Antonio Chimento, et al.; July 2011
- "Journal of Neuroscience Research"; Neurotoxic Properties of the Anabolic Androgenic Steroids Nandrolone and Methandrostenolone in Primary Neuronal Cultures; Filippo Caraci, et al.; April 2011
