The search for the “perfect body” can bring a lot of damage to the lives of those who undergo non-recommended treatments, excessive training or prohibited substances.Even though it is not a new subject, the use of anabolic steroids by those who seek this aesthetic idealization is still recurrent and lacks clear information about damages and side effects.“Many people gained weight in the pandemic, due to the difficulty of exercising due to social distancing.Now, with the return, people want to make up for lost time and turn to anabolic steroids.Social networks also trigger many triggers for the cult of the 'perfect body', which can be unattainable for many people because sometimes other factors interfere with the result of bodybuilding, such as genetics", says the infectologist, nutritionist and member of the Brazilian Society of Infectologist (SBI), Erika Ferrari.The specialist also states that the use of anabolic steroids for aesthetic purposes is not allowed: “There is no recommendation for use in any medical society.The prescription of these hormones is aimed more at people who have a deficiency of them in the body.What is done in these cases is a replacement of these hormones, in case the laboratory proves that there is a deficiency”.What is the relationship between HIV and anabolic steroids?The advance of antiretroviral therapy – a combination of drugs that act to inhibit the multiplication of HIV in the body – represents a major milestone in the control of the virus and has brought a significant improvement in the lives of people who are infected.With availability in the Unified Health System (SUS), access to therapy has become free and national, bringing more stability in the life of those who are HIV positive .As a result, cachexia – excessive loss of weight and muscle mass – has become much less frequent compared to the beginning of the epidemic in the 1980s, and it is in these cases, now rare, that it is possible to use anabolic steroids in the treatment of HIV. .“With the advancement of retroviral therapy, it is very difficult for a patient with HIV to present a condition of cachexia.If the need arises, and generally in a patient who is not undergoing treatment to control the virus, we basically use nandrolone [anabolic hormone], but not testosterone [male hormone]”, explains the president of the Department of Female Endocrinology, Andrology and Transgenderism of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabology (SBEM), Alexandre Hohl”.However, the specialist emphasizes that it is a “delicate scenario” and that it is always necessary to “put the cost-benefit ratio before deciding which hormone to use”.“Studies prove that nandrolone is the least androgenic, that is, it can be used in children, men and women”, says the doctor, who adds: “It is important to emphasize that the main reason for applying the hormone in these cases is not HIV itself, but cachexia”.The correct use of the term “anabolic”The term “anabolic” refers to the overuse of the male hormone, testosterone.Hohl also points out that there is often a mistake in the use of the term “anabolic”, which is nothing more than a reference to the excess in the application of the male hormone – testosterone – in the body.“Testosterone is a fundamental hormone for men, as it defines body issues related to the male sex, such as beard, penis and erection, for example.In this sense, we are not talking about gender, but only about body structure”, explains the specialist, who goes on to describe that hormones perform two important actions to understand the issue of anabolic steroids: anabolism and catabolism.“The hormone does anabolism [building organic complexes in the body] and catabolism [the process that breaks down complex compounds so that they turn into simple compounds].The word anabolic is nothing more than an attribution to the excess use of testosterone, that is, an excess of anabolism, of building tissues in the body”, he defines.Like infectious disease specialist and nutritionist Erika Ferrari, the SBEM doctor says that the anabolic use of testosterone without medical supervision is not recommended, but that the hormone is “fabulous to treat diseases, but only when it is applied in the right doses”.A study carried out by the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, with amateur bodybuilders revealed that men who use or have used anabolic steroids can have testicular dysfunction for years, even in cases where the substance was discontinued for more than two years.In more serious situations, the substance led to the athlete's infertility.The study, published in March of last year, in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, followed 132 men between the ages of 18 and 50 who did or do weight training recreationally.Doctor Erika Ferreira reinforces the possible side effects that excessive use of testosterone, the anabolic form, can bring to the body.“The first symptom, which is usually the most common, is aggression.Hair loss can also happen, in addition to the skin becoming oily and ending up generating acne.Testicle atrophy can occur as well and increased libido, but with weak ejaculation in men,” she says.The specialist also explains that, in the long term, high doses of testosterone can cause the body to stop producing the hormone naturally, which can only be undone with treatment.“Our body is smart.When you inject excessive doses of a certain hormone that the body manufactures itself, it understands that it no longer needs to produce the substance and stops making it.The fact that you stop the anabolic will not make the body automatically produce the substance again.In this case, treatment is needed to stimulate natural production again,” she says.The specialist also lists the most dangerous effects: "Changes in the liver, increased blood pressure, increased production of red blood cells - which can increase the risk of thrombosis -, risk of heart attack and stroke, decreased good cholesterol and increased bad cholesterol, breast enlargement in men and shortening in women and increase in the clitoris in women”, says Erika, who concludes by informing that in the long term there is still the possibility of developing liver cancer.The website of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabology (SBEM) describes other negative effects, such as “paranoia, hallucinations, psychosis, blood clots, fluid retention in the body, increased blood pressure and risk of acquiring communicable diseases (AIDS and hepatitis) ”.The portal specifies that, in the case of women, there may be “a deepening of the voice and the appearance of hair beyond normal”, in addition to “irregularity or interruption of menstruation” and “increased appetite”.The SBEM also points out that in adolescents the excessive use of testosterone can be even more serious.“Growth impairment, accelerated bone maturation, increased frequency and duration of erections, early sexual development, hypervirilization, phallus growth (hypogonadism or megalophaly), increases in pubic and body hair, in addition to slight beard growth”, he informs.While the number of new cases of HIV infection diagnosed each year has been slowly falling in the world over the last decade, the number of other STIs (sexually transmitted infections) is on the rise.Or at least it is in the countries that record this data, such as the United States, France and the United Kingdom.The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, drew attention to the rapid growth rate of monkeypox cases in the world.In a press conference on Wednesday (17/8), he reported that 7,500 new cases of monkeypox were registered on the planet in the last week, which represents an increase of about 20% compared to the previous week, which had also registered an increase of 20% in relation to the previous one.The state of São Paulo will provide complementary funding to the AC Camargo hospital so that the entity continues to serve SUS patients for the next few years, Governor Rodrigo Garcia (PSDB) announced this Thursday (18).Several ongoing studies are trying to find out whether genetic changes in the monkeypox virus are driving the disease's rapid spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) told AFP on Wednesday.To not miss the latest news, just fill in the field on the side with your email and enjoy.Av.Paulista 207,3 - Horsa 1 - 8th floor - Cj 822 CEP 01311-300 - Cerqueira César - São Paulo, SP©2018 - All rights reserved - Aids News Agency