Let's discuss: A potent anabolic steroid

[Xisiqomelir]

Original NF content
by Xisiqo

Hello, nerds! I'm Xisiqo, and I'm really enjoying my time on this forum! As a way to contribute to the community I thought I'd put up a small post to add to the knowledge base here. Though the information is somewhat technical, I have endeavoured to minimize the use of jargon and make it as accessible as possible. I'm hoping everyone will find it interesting and educational. Plus, I figure true nerds are happy to geek out on some science when it comes to health, training and the human body, especially over here at NF. I also make no apologies for the (literally) sexy title because it's a (literally) sexy topic. The anabolic steroid in question?



It's called Testosterone (or (8R,9S,10R,13S,14S,17S)- 17-Hydroxy-10,13-dimethyl- 1,2,6,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17- dodecahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-one if you're fancy), and if you're reading these words, you have some in your veins right now. As mentioned in the title, I'd like to discuss it, but first, let's do some preparatory background work so we can operate from an informed basis.

ABOUT HORMONES

In humans, HORMONES are chemicals released by various glands into the bloodstream to signal the body to manifest physiological changes. There are a multitude of glands, and a plethora of hormones, some of which you might have already heard of:



INSULIN is a peptide hormone secreted by the pancreas to regulate the levels of serum glucose (blood sugar) by increasing the rate of glucose absorption by fat and muscle cells (Dimitriadis).



MELATONIN is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland to regulate the circadian rhythm, also called the "day-night cycle" or "body clock", primarily by controlling sleep (Perreau-Lenz).

Interesting side note: Melatonin is synthesized from the amino acid tryptophan, and follows a serotonin pathway to promote post-prandial somnolence, or drowsiness after eating (Schomerus).

ABOUT STEROIDS

If you're reading along from the top, you'll notice I called insulin a "peptide hormone". The different hormones the body produces are classified chemically, based on their biochemical precursors, or, in simpler language, what the body makes them from. STEROIDS, or "steroid hormones" are simply the hormones synthesized from cholesterol.

Interesting side note: There are other types of hormones, aside from peptide and steroid. And other multicellular organisms, like plants, have their own various types of hormones too!

CHOLESTEROL



CHOLESTEROL is an essential lipid, aka "fat". There is some cholesterol present in animal fat (a classic source of decades-old, officially promulgated hysteria which is addressed very nicely halfway through this front-page article by Steve), which the body is able to use immediately, but as cholesterol is both the precursor for EVERY steroid hormone in the body and a necessary structural component for EVERY cell membrane in the body, even dietary intake, though beneficial, is inadequate and additional cholesterol must be synthesized by the chemical powerhouse that is the liver, constantly.

 

(Note for our vegan and vegetarian friends, plant foods are generally extremely low in cholesterol (Behrman), so make sure you're obtaining enough plant-based saturated fat that your body can synthesize a sufficient quantity for normal hormonal levels)

 

 

ON TO TESTOSTERONE

 

Good job following along so far, friends! We are now ready to discuss testosterone specifically, starting with how it is manufactured in humans.

BIOSYNTHESIS OF TESTOSTERONE

Like many interesting chemical reactions performed by the body (look up the metabolic pathway for aerobic respiration if you have some free time, "tricarboxylic acid cycle" will be a decent search term), this is a little involved, but I promise it's worth it, so stick with me.

So we know where the body starts (all steroid hormones are synthesized from cholesterol), and where it wants to get to (testosterone). What's the exact route?

CHOLESTEROL is transformed by the action of a cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme into...
PREGNENOLONE, which is transformed by the action of 17-α-hydroxylase into...
17α-HYDROXY PREGNENOLONE, which is transformed by the action of 17,20 lyase into...
DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE, which is transformed by the action of 17-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase into...
ANDROSTENEDIOL, which is transformed by the action of 3-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase into...
TESTOSTERONE

or, in pictures (follow the red arrows clockwise from the top left):

 

Why is this significant? You see that cholesterol molecule at the top left? It is essential to the whole process. I repeat, CHOLESTEROL IS ESSENTIAL FOR NORMAL HORMONAL LEVELS. Without the start of the chain, there is no rest of the chain. If you get nothing else out of this piece, I hope you understand that you need cholesterol to maintain good health.

 

TESTOSTERONE I: VIRILIZING EFFECTS

 

You remember how I said all the way at the beginning that this was a sexy topic? Primate sexual dimorphism details the physiological differences between the two sexes, and testosterone is synthesized in minor quantities by the liver and the brain and in major quantities by the interstitial cells of Leydig, located in the male testicles. In humans, testosterone is the major androgen, a masculinizing hormone.

 

For men: as the testes secrete greater quantities of testosterone at the beginning of adolescence, the male sexual characteristics begin to manifest themselves:

 

-Phallic and testicular enlargement

-Protuberance of the Adam's Apple and deepening of the voice

-Development of the male skeletal structure (broad shoulders and chest, long arm and leg bones)

 

For both sexes: Women have testosterone too! And it is an essential hormone for them as well. In puberty, testosterone has the following effects:

 

-Growth of pubic and body hair

-Growth of sebaceous glands and appearance of acne

-Increase in libido and frequency of sexual arousal

 

DETOUR: TRAINING AND RECOVERY

 

Training hard doesn't actually make you stronger. Not directly, anyway. What happens when you train hard is that you cause microscopic rips and tears in some of the fibres which the muscle bundle is composed of.

 

 

The body recognizes this stress, repairs the the damage to the fibres, lengthens them, widens them and sometimes splits them so you get two new ones to adapt to the increased workload. The end result is that you are stronger than before. (Goldberg)

 

So you don't get stronger by training hard. You get stronger by RECOVERING from training hard. This is why we try to have a full recovery period between training sessions. It maximises the benefits of recovery before we force the body to adapt to an even heavier workload. Managing this balance between hard training and full recovery is the basis for all programming for strength training.

 

TESTOSTERONE II: ANABOLIC EFFECTS

 

ANABOLISM is growth. Testosterone is a potent anabolic steroid because it strongly promotes the growth of muscle. Referring back to sexual dimorphism again, the greater quantity of testosterone secreted by the male body is the reason why there's a strength differential between male and female athletes of otherwise equal builds with respect to height and weight. (Miller)

 

IMPORTANT: Female nerds should not be disheartened! You still have more than enough testosterone to get you

!

 

However, testosterone has another characteristic which is potentially even more important for you, my fellow nerd, than its direct anabolic effect. Testosterone boosts recovery. And as I told you above, recovering from hard training is what gets you stronger. This means you can train even harder when your testosterone is high, and you'll recover from it much faster and in a much stronger condition than you would if your T-level is low.

 

CHECKING YOUR TESTOSTERONE

 

Sadly, the vicissitudes of the modern era mean that testosterone levels are plummeting. (Travison)

 

If you are male, there's an easy test you can do any night. This is the normal graph of daily blood testosterone fluctuation for males:

 

 

You'll notice the peak occurs just around dawn. At least adequate testosterone then means you should wake up with an erection.

 

If you don't sustain a morning erection, or are female, you can always get a blood test from your doctor.

 

I consider the published "acceptable ranges" ridiculous on the low end for any male under the age of 70. Reasonable, healthy levels should be at a minimum of 550 ng/dL, and the closer you can get your count to 1 mg/dL the better.

 

NATURALLY MAXIMIZING TESTOSTERONE

 

The good news is that we can maximise testosterone production with just a few tweaks to our lifestyle. Here are the most significant:

 

1) Eat saturated fat and cholesterol

 

As written above, cholesterol is an essential prerequisite for the biosynthesis of testosterone, and saturated fat is an essential precursor to the biosynthesis of cholesterol. Make sure you're eating enough of it (at least 0.45 g/lb lean body mass)

 

2) Sleep at least 8 hours a night, uninterrupted

 

You can see from the graph in the Testing section above that testosterone gradually accumulates in the body the longer you sleep. Get full, uninterrupted sleep in the dark so you arise with the sun or earlier. Fix your sleeping habits if you aren't doing that. (aside from testosterone production sleep also has many other health benefits I can discuss in the future)

 

3) Lift heavy things and be strong

 

Muscular growth promotes the release of testosterone. Train hard and train strong to obtain a beneficial positive feedback loop where you get even more testosterone to help you train harder and stronger.

 

4) Be sexually fulfilled

 

The fun one! Sexual activity with a partner promotes the release of testosterone, particularly in the pre-coital phase.

 

And here are some other ways which can also be helpful (but if you're not doing 1-4 above, do those first).

 

-Take cold showers

-Eat dark chocolate

-Supplement Zinc and Vitamin D

 

ABUSE

 

Testosterone can also be synthesized artificially, and is probably the most popular anabolic steroid abused by professional athletes, bodybuilders, physique models and film and television actors. The forum TOS forbids discussion of criminal activity, but as a warning I will note that abuse of artificial testosterone can cause the following side effects.
 

In men when the brain recognizes unnaturally high levels of testosterone present in the bloodstream, it signals the reduction or even cessation of natural production, and promotes the release of feminizing hormones to counterbalance the effects. This can result in:

 

-Shrinking of the testicles

-Gynecomastia (growth of male breasts)

 

In women the virilizing effects of testosterone abuse can result in:

 

-Growth of the Adam's Apple and deepening of the voice

-Growth of body and facial hair

-Engorgement and swelling of the clitoris

 

TAKEAWAYS

My small post ended up slightly larger than I intended it to be, but I prefer that you get the facts in one page rather than have to go clicking all over the internet. We can summarize things as follows:

 

-Cholesterol is essential for good health and hormonal balance.

-Testosterone is a natural anabolic steroid present in all humans.

-Naturally high testosterone has many beneficial effects

-Testosterone production can naturally be increased by a significant margin.

 

 

And...that's it nerds! I hope you enjoyed the post, and please comment if you want me to write more of this stuff. Topics I was deciding between for next time were:

 

-The metabolism of fat
-Major organs of the human body
-Basic muscular anatomy

 

-Xis

 

References:

Dimitriadis G, Mitrou P, Lambadiari V, Maratou E, Raptis SA (August 2011). "Insulin effects in muscle and adipose tissue". Diabetes Res. Clin. Pract
Perreau-Lenz S, Pévet P, Buijs RM, Kalsbeek A (January 2004). "The biological clock: the bodyguard of temporal homeostasis". Chronobiol. Int.

Schomerus, C.; Korf, HW (2005). "Mechanisms regulating melatonin synthesis in the mammalian pineal organ". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Behrman EJ, Gopalan V (December 2005). "Cholesterol and Plants". J. Chem. Educ

Goldberg AL, Etlinger JD, Goldspink DF, Jablecki C (1975) "Mechanism of work-induced hypertrophy of skeletal muscle". Medicine and Science in Sports

Miller AE, MacDougall JD, Tarnopolsky MA, Sale DG (1993) "Gender differences in strength and muscle fiber characteristics." Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol

Travison TG, Araujo AB, O’Donnell AB, Kupelian V, McKinlay JB. (2007) "A Population-Level Decline in Serum Testosterone Levels in American Men". J. Clinic. Endocrinology and Metabolism

[Omega v1.1]

Interesting stuff.

[Rookiebeotch]

Personal testosterone checklist...

1) check!

2) working on it

3) check!

4) working on it

-Take cold showers - fuck you

-Eat dark chocolate - I don't, but if you say so...

-Supplement Zinc and Vitamin D - check, and I get tons of sun

[Eleanorsbee]

has anyone done any research on how doing the above increases testosterone by how much 

 

I mean, we can see the effects of actually taking testosterone steroids .... you can easily whap your levels up by 300ng/dL ... and reach that elusive 1mg and higher to help pack on the muscle 

 

but how much does eating meat and freezing your nuts (boobs if you are a woman) off in a shower actually raise your levels ..... if its only by 5ng/dl .... then thats surely not going to make a blind bit of difference even in the long run 

 

I think the question I am asking is can the above raise your testosterone levels to a noticeable level, or is it like watching your salt intake, the best you can hope for is a normal blood pressure level ... in this case a normal for your age testosterone level 

 

Obviously lifting weights, eating meat and fat is a proven method of gaining muscle ... but I am sure thats more through exercising the muscle and feeding it protein and energy rather than upping T-levels.

 

So before I start shivering in the morning and frightening my wife my yelling "ARRRRRGH its for the T" everytime I wake up .... how much effect in real terms will this have

 

I haven't noticed any difference drinking green tea and thats meant to aid weightloss and detoxify your body

 

 

TL:DR - any excuse to eat saturated fat and be sexually fulfilled is good with me ..... but I need more evidence before I start taking cold showers  

[102nd7]

I enjoyed the read thanks. I guess I fail the natural test and need to seek out a good testosterone dealer as I don't think I've had morning wood in the better part of a decade.

[Xisiqomelir]

-Take cold showers - fuck you

 

Hahahaha

 

 

has anyone done any research on how doing the above increases testosterone by how much 

 

I mean, we can see the effects of actually taking testosterone steroids .... you can easily whap your levels up by 300ng/dL ... and reach that elusive 1mg and higher to help pack on the muscle 

 

but how much does eating meat and freezing your nuts (boobs if you are a woman) off in a shower actually raise your levels ..... if its only by 5ng/dl .... then thats surely not going to make a blind bit of difference even in the long run

 

Here's a guy who brought himself up 200% from 383 ng/dl

[Machete]

Fantastic. I was just studying Endocrinology yesterday.

 

 

More ways do increase T for men?

 

1. Be in the presence of a woman.

2. Be an asshole. (Not really up to you.)

3. Stop having sex.

4. Stop being in a relationship.

 

> van der Meij, L., Buunk, A.P., van de Sande, J.P., Salvador, A. (2008). The presence of a woman increases testosterone in aggressive dominant men. Department of Psychology, University of Groningen.

> Burnham, T.C., Chapman, J.F., Gray, P.B., McIntyre, M.H., Lipson, S.F., Ellison, P.T. (2003). Men in committed, romantic relationships have lower testosterone. Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, USA.

 

On another note, females naturally have higher resting HGH than males.

[Rookiebeotch]

I've been experimenting with cold showers. When I shower postworkout, I start hot, lather and scrub. I also stretch a bit. When I'm all rinsed off, I start psyching up. Then I full blast the cold and turn off the hot. My pulse and breathing skyrockets and my body is resisting. I am forced to switch my mind into manly-fight-mode. I rotate around allowing the chilled water to hit the hottest parts of my body. I flex a lot and do horse stance all in resistance. But eventually my body gives in and I can apply the cold stream to my body without much mental effort. When it no longer feels shocking anywhere, I turn off the water and get out. Toweling off, I cant help but feel great, and that greatness continues for the rest of the night. I wonder if the benefits of cold showers on testosterone levels is purely due to the mental process required to willingly subject yourself to an almost unbearable sensation.

[Shortgorilla]

I've been experimenting with cold showers. When I shower postworkout, I start hot, lather and scrub. I also stretch a bit. When I'm all rinsed off, I start psyching up. Then I full blast the cold and turn off the hot. My pulse and breathing skyrockets and my body is resisting. I am forced to switch my mind into manly-fight-mode. I rotate around allowing the chilled water to hit the hottest parts of my body. I flex a lot and do horse stance all in resistance. But eventually my body gives in and I can apply the cold stream to my body without much mental effort. When it no longer feels shocking anywhere, I turn off the water and get out. Toweling off, I cant help but feel great, and that greatness continues for the rest of the night. I wonder if the benefits of cold showers on testosterone levels is purely due to the mental process required to willingly subject yourself to an almost unbearable sensation.

 

Holy hell bro.  Are you serious?  Even if this doesn't actually do anything biologically, you just made me want to start doing this.

[Rookiebeotch]

Yeah did it again tonight. I want to fuck and fight everything. No willing participants around, so I ate a lot and did laundry instead.

[Dradis]

I didn't know about cold showers and testosterone but i do pretty much exactly what Rookie does. Start hot, do the necessaries and then a blast of really cold all over to finish. Cold enough that it takes your breath away.
 
I actually started doing it because i found it helped a lot with the post-workout sweating which i dislike seeing as i have to go back to work in a shirt after working out.
I will continue i think
 
In terms of the checklist:
1) Eat saturated fat and cholesterol - Check
2) Sleep at least 8 hours a night, uninterrupted - hmmm
3) Lift heavy things and be strong - Check Strongish.
4) Be sexually fulfilled - Hmmm, well, once every month/2 months :-/
 
Take cold showers - Check
-Eat dark chocolate - Negative, but ok
-Supplement Zinc and Vitamin D - Check

 

 

TMI - i also pass the test for males. I just thought this was a mechanism to prevent rolling out of bed, haha