What exactly are Steroids?
In: Biology
“Steroids” are a general category of chemicals. There are a number of steroids that serve various functions in the human body. When someone talks about steroids, they commonly mean one of two things:
1) **Anabolic steroids**: When a layperson says “steroids”, this is usually what they mean. These are the chemicals people take to increase muscle mass. They’re generally testosterone or testosterone analogs. They work by signaling your cells, especially muscle cells, to build more proteins. They also have a wide range of side effects including heart disease, elevated cholesterol with increased risk of heart attack and stroke, acne, and, in males, they’ll make your balls shrink and make you grow bitch-tits.
2) **Corticosteroids**: When a healthcare provider says “steroids”, this is usually what they mean. These are generally analogs of hormones that the adrenal glands produce, such as cortisol. Common steroids include prednisone and dexamethasone (usually given orally), inhaled steroids such as fluticasone, and topical steroids such as hydrocortisone cream. In general, this type of steroid is broadly anti-inflammatory. They work by a number of different mechanisms to reduce inflammation, either throughout the body if given systemically, or on a specific part of the body if given locally. These steroids also have a number of side effects, and for the most part you want to avoid using them for prolonged periods of time (in consultation with your doctor of course).
People do sometimes confuse these basically unrelated classes of drugs with each other, which can lead to some confusion.
There are two things commonly called steroids, but they work in generally opposite directions and do the opposite things to the body. Anabolic steroids are the ones that body builders etc. use whereas steroids are normally used for medical conditions https://youtu.be/NItYZOFz6Ak
It comes from organic chemistry naming of chemicals that all have the same central makeup of 17 carbon atoms in a specific “shape” (link below). They are made by plants and animals for cell walls and talking between cells.
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Corticosteroids are bloody wonderful. They’ve been keeping me alive since I stopped producing two of them in 1998.
Steroids are a class of hormones/signalling molecules derived from Cholesterol. Many human hormones are steroids and they are produced by our bodies but may also be taken as medication.
Corticosteroids – Steroid hormones produced by the adrenal cortex (the outermost layer of the glands that sit above the kidneys). They are subdivided in Mineralocorticoids (mainly Aldosterone), which regulate blood pressure by coordinating the kidneys; and Glucocorticoids (mainly Cortisol), which mediate the physiologic response to stressors by suppressing inflammation and releasing glucose in the blood. Some very powerful anti-inflammatory drugs mimic the actions of Cortisol.
Sexual hormones – Testosterone, Estrogens, Progesterone are all steroids with slight differences in their molecular structures. They stimulate the development of sexual characteristics and regulate the menstrual cycle in women.
ELI5: Steroids are a type of hormone made by our bodies from Cholesterol. They serve various purposes such as blood pressure control, cell fuel production, anti-inflammatory and sexual.
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