Exactly why Athletes Turn to Steroid Alternatives

Among amateur and semi-professional bodybuilders, steroid use has traditionally been looked at as a double stinging sword. One school of thought eschews the use of performing improving substances, while another has held them upward as the key to rapid muscle mass gain.

Many high school physical education teachers inform their models on weightlifting with an ominous warning about the hazards of anabolic steroid use. Yet, young athletes see their idols -- from baseball players to weight lifters -- using performance improving substances. The evident question is: how much of that fame and success comes from the athlete's natural ability -- and how much originated from the aid of performance boosting elements?
The Internet and Steroid Sales

In 1991, control of anabolic steroids with no prescription was made a federal felony in the United States. By the mid- to late-1990s, the proliferation of the Internet as a global market place meant a proliferation of steroids and steroid choices on offer from countries where anabolic steroids were still legal without a prescription.

Proponents of anabolic steroid alternatives claim that several of substances that are not directly related to synthesized, or anabolic anabolic steroids offer many of the benefits D-Bal associated with anabolic steroids -- an increase in muscle mass and a metabolism goaled at burning fat -- but without detrimental effects of anabolic steroids. A quick set of those negative side results includes hormonal imbalances, liver organ damage and elevated "bad" cholesterol.

Even so, professional athletes have turned to steroids -- legal or otherwise -- to create muscle and attain a competitive edge. And the world watches.

There is no worldwide standard on what qualifies as an "illegal" substance in the sports activity of competitive bodybuilding, for example. Instead, substances forbidden by regulatory authorities vary between bodybuilding federations. Illegal anabolic steroids and substances known as prohormone and diuretics are believed to be extensively utilized by professional bodybuilders and are generally banned by natural bodybuilding organizations.
An additional School of Thought

Because the name implies, natural bodybuilding associations give attention to physical fitness and nutrition in order to achieve a level playing field for body shaping enthusiasts. Often, these associations open their competition to related types of body aesthetics, such as figure, female physique, junior level and physically questioned categories. Some organizations conduct their own drug verification regimen for participants. Inside an effort to make their policies clear, many of these federations choose to include a set of banned substances on their Web pages. These may or might not exactly include products known generically as steroid alternatives.

Steroid alternatives can be found in over-the-counter compounds in most health and drug stores. Yet they are not all labeled -- or created -- alike. The products the U. S. Food and Drug Administration listed in its Warning to American Cellular Laboratories Inc., in the summer of 2009 include "TREN-Xtreme, " "MASS Xtreme, " "ESTRO Xtreme, " "AH-89-Xtreme, " "HMG Xtreme, " "MMA-3 Xtreme, " "VNS-9 Xtreme, " and "TT-40-Xtreme. " The particular FDA states that these products claim to contain steroid-like ingredients but in reality contain synthetic steroid substances that are unapproved since they are not generally recognized as safe and effective. The Administration also says that the products are misbranded because the packaging is misleading and does not provide sufficient directions for use.

Products in the steroid alternative category are not without their own risks. And they will likely come under increased scrutiny by federal regulators as individual products send up red flags. However the fact that the market exists speaks to a collective desire among sports athletes to see fast leads to muscle mass, strength, and stamina -- a wish that outweighs the risks.