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Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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01.11.2020 |
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Anabolic steroids make heavy physical exercise more addictive
More often than not, abuse of anabolic steroids is associated with disturbed body image and compulsive diet and exercise. The American psychiatrist Tom Hildebrandt may have found a biological explanation for the latter aspect. In 2014, Hildebrandt published a human study that suggests that steroids use enhances the addictiveness of heavy physical exercise.
Study
During this study, half of the steroids users were on-cycle, the other half was off-cycle.
The researchers analyzed the subjects' blood and measured the extent to which the men appreciated physical training using a complex test. This meant that the men were runing on a treadmill, but had to perform increasingly tedious tasks while running in order to keep running.
Results
The table below has been simplified. Click on it for a full version.
Mechanism
Beta-endorphins are released during intensive exercise. It is an important factor in the euphoric feelings experienced by performance athletes, which enduance athletes call runner's high. According to sports psychologists, beta-endorphins play a crucial role in sports addiction.
Beta-endorphins interact with the same receptors with which addictive opioid painkillers such as morphine interact. In the 1970s, when experimenting with lab animals, Horace Loh discovered that the analgesic effect of beta-endorphins exceeded that of morphine by a factor of 18-33. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Aug;73(8):2895-8.]
Conclusion
"The fact that anabolic steroids increase lean muscle mass and may also enhance mood and the reinforcing value of behaviors such as exercise via effects on the HPA axis suggest a powerful environment for maintaining drug use."
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