Anabolic steroids or anabolic steroids are substances that increase muscle mass quickly but have side effects.They should not be taken just to improve performance in the gym as they can severely damage the liver.Taking anabolic steroids not only causes erection problems or aggression.Anabolic steroids used by some gym users to gain muscle quickly can cause serious liver damage.Anabolic steroids are synthetic (man-made) versions of testosterone, the main sex hormone in men.This substance is needed to develop and maintain certain male sexual characteristics, such as muscle growth, facial hair, and a deep voice.Doctors may prescribe anabolic steroids to treat some hormonal problems in men, such as delayed puberty and muscle loss caused by certain diseases, but some people misuse this product.“The alarm about anabolic steroids went off after observing several cases of young people who arrived at our hospital with a very serious liver disease because they had taken epistane, a type of steroid withdrawn long ago by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products.Some cases were so severe that they were on the verge of needing a liver transplant,” explains Dr.Castell, specialist in liver and digestive diseases.As a result of what happened, the team of Dr.Castell undertook the investigation of these substances to find out how they act and their consequences for the liver.The study was carried out with liver cells in culture, which allowed them to simulate what can happen to a human liver if anabolic steroids are taken.Taking anabolic steroids can not only increase aggression in men or cause erection problems (the testes do not secrete testosterone when they detect that the body already has enough), but it can also seriously damage the liver.Petar Petrov, the study's first signatory, explains how these substances act at the liver level:An additional problem with cholestasis (bile builds up in the liver and bloodstream) caused by anabolic steroids is that the damage lasts for months, even if you stop taking the substance.According to Dr.Castell, this can happen for two reasons:The substance likely accumulates in the liver and is not easily eliminated.Another possibility is that the steroid causes epigenetic changes, that is, changes in the expression or behavior of genes.It is as if the substance leaves a kind of imprint or imprint on the genes causing, from that moment on, the production of bile does not work well and takes some time to recover.In addition to liver damage, there are other known negative consequences:Obviously, liver damage is the most serious (it increases the risk of liver cancer), but “the problem is that these consequences are long term, and a young man who takes steroids is looking to increase muscle mass immediately, he doesn't think about how that is.” can affect your health,” explains Petar Petrov.“However, even if it does not cause visible damage in the short term, after 10 or 20 years problems can arise”, warns the study investigator.They continue to be used because their effectiveness in increasing muscle mass is more than proven through the activation of a specific protein.Also, they are taken in very high doses, so the buildup occurs very quickly.However, while its action on muscle is well known, little was known about the metabolic effects that activation of this protein can cause.The CIBEREHD study marks a before and after in this regard by demonstrating the great liver damage that these substances can cause.And not only the epistane is pointed out.As per this research, there are at least 4 other anabolic steroids that have the same effect and are also easily available online.Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay informed with today's news!