They're banned in most athletic competitions.

它們在大多數體育比賽中都是被禁止的。

But are steroids actually bad for you?

但類固醇真的對你有害嗎？

The term “steroids” refers to a broad category of molecules

術語 "類固醇 "是指一類廣泛的分子。

that share a similar molecular structure,

具有相似分子結構的。

but have many different functions.

但卻有許多不同的功能。

When people talk about steroids in the context of sports,

當人們在體育界談論類固醇的時候。

they're referring to a subset of steroids that resemble testosterone.

他們指的是類似睪丸激素的類固醇子集。

Though elite athletes and bodybuilders began using these steroids in the 1950s,

雖然精英運動員和健美運動員開始使用這些類固醇在20世紀50年代。

today, most steroid users are actually not competitive athletes,

今天，大多數類固醇用戶實際上不是競技運動員。

but people seeking a particular appearance.

但追求特定外觀的人。

These steroids have two main effects: androgenic, or masculinizing,

這些類固醇有兩個主要作用：雄性激素，或男性化。

and anabolic, or growth-promoting.

和合成代謝，或促進生長。

These effects mimic naturally-occurring testosterone,

這些效果模仿了自然產生的睪丸酮。

which drives the development and maintenance

推動發展和維護

of male secondary sex characteristics and general growth in everyone.

的男性第二性徵，並在每個人身上普遍增長。

That means testosterone and the synthetic steroids based on it

這意味著睪丸激素和合成類固醇基於它。

promote body and facial hair growth, enlargement of the vocal cords

促進身體和麵部毛髮生長，擴大聲帶。

and deepening of the voice, increased muscle mass and strength,

並加深聲音，增加肌肉品質和力量。

and increased stature and bone mass.

並增加身材和骨量。

Recreational steroid users are after the anabolic, growth promoting effects.

休閒類固醇用戶是後合成代謝、 促進增長的效果。

To make muscles grow, steroids first promote protein synthesis—

為了使肌肉生長，類固醇首先要促進蛋白質的合成--。

proteins are essential building blocks of all cells, tissues, and organs,

蛋白質是所有細胞、組織和器官的重要構件。

including muscles.

包括肌肉。

Steroids also block cortisol,

類固醇也能阻斷皮質醇。

a signaling molecule that drives the breakdown of substances

促使物質分解的信號分子。

including proteins.

包括蛋白質。

Finally, they may push the development of muscle, rather than fat,

最後，它們可能會推動肌肉的發展，而不是脂肪。

and boost our metabolism, shrinking fat deposits.

並促進我們的新陳代謝，收縮脂肪沉積。

These properties make steroids valuable for treating many illnesses and injuries.

這些特性使類固醇對治療許多疾病和損傷很有價值。

They can help people with wasting illnesses,

他們可以幫助患有消耗性疾病的人。

like AIDS and certain cancers,

如艾滋病和某些癌症。

maintain muscle mass and help burn victims recover lost muscle tissue.

維持肌肉品質，幫助燒傷患者恢復失去的肌肉組織。

So if steroids are used as medicine,

所以，如果把類固醇當藥用。

they must be safe to use recreationally, right?

他們必須安全地使用娛樂，對不對？

Well, it's not that simple.

嗯，這不是那麼簡單。

To create the desired muscle growth,

為了創造理想的肌肉生長。

recreational steroid users must typically take doses orders of magnitude higher

休閒類固醇使用者通常必須採取劑量數量級更高的訂單。

than those prescribed for a medical condition.

比醫療條件規定的那些。

Long term, high dose steroid usage can have both undesirable

長期，大劑量的類固醇使用可以有兩個不良的

and outright harmful effects—

和徹底的有害影響----

some of them dependent on factors like age, sex,

其中一些取決於年齡、性別等因素。

and underlying health conditions.

和潛在的健康狀況。

We're not sure what all the risk factors are,

我們不確定所有的風險因素是什麼。

but we do know recreational steroid use is particularly risky for adolescents.

但我們知道娛樂性的類固醇使用是特別危險的青少年。

During puberty, steroid use can prompt bones to mature

在青春期，使用類固醇可以促使骨骼成熟。

before they're done growing, causing growth defects.

在它們還沒有生長完的時候，造成生長缺陷。

Adolescents are also most at risk

青少年的風險也最大

for the harmful psychiatric effects of steroid use.

對使用類固醇的有害精神影響。

The most common of these, increased impulsivity and increased aggression,

其中最常見的，衝動性增加，攻擊性增強。

are well-known as “roid rage.”

是眾所周知的 "羅伊德憤怒"。

Up to 60% of users experience these effects.

高達60%的用戶會出現這些效果。

But there are also less common,

但也有不太常見的。

more damaging psychiatric side effects like mania and even psychosis.

更具破壞性的精神副作用，如躁狂症甚至精神病。

Steroid use can damage organs including the liver and kidneys,

使用類固醇會損害包括肝臟和腎臟在內的器官。

and cause cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure.

並引起高血壓等心血管問題。

While some or all of those effects may be reversible,

雖然這些影響有些或全部可能是可逆的。

steroid use can also cause liver cancer, especially in males.

使用類固醇也會導致肝癌，尤其是男性。

Though recreational users take steroids for their anabolic effects,

雖然娛樂用戶服用類固醇以達到其合成代謝的效果。

they also experience androgenic effects— often undesired.

他們也經歷了雄性激素效應--往往是不希望的。

That can mean increased body hair, enlargement of the clitoris,

這可能意味著體毛增多，陰蒂增大。

and permanent voice deepening in females.

和女性的永久性聲音加深。

At the same time, excess testosterone-like steroids can cause feminization in males,

同時，過量的睪丸激素類固醇會導致男性女性化。

because the body converts the excess into estrogen.

因為身體會將多餘的轉化為雌激素。

This can lead to breast development and shrinking testicles.

這樣會導致乳房發育和睪丸萎縮。

These effects are not uncommon—

這些影響並不罕見--

about a third of male steroid users experience them to some degree.

大約三分之一的男性類固醇使用者在某種程度上經歷了他們。

Excess steroid use can also reduce fertility in males and females—

過度使用類固醇也會降低男性和女性的生育能力--。

by reducing the sperm in semen or by causing missed periods and conditions

減少精液中的精子，或導致錯過月經和狀況

like polycystic ovary syndrome.

如多囊卵巢綜合症。

All these effects may be reversible if steroid use stops— but they may not be.

所有這些影響可能是可逆的如果類固醇使用停止，但他們可能不會。

The specific steroid, the duration of use,

具體的類固醇，使用時間。

and other factors could play a role in reversibility.

和其他因素可能在可逆性中發揮作用。

Finally, there's mounting evidence

最後，有越來越多的證據表明

that users are susceptible to steroid dependence.

用戶容易對類固醇產生依賴性。

They can develop tolerance and require increasingly large doses over time.

它們會產生耐受性，隨著時間的推移需要越來越大的劑量。

This increases the risk of harmful effects,

這增加了有害影響的風險。

all of which are increasingly common at higher doses

所有這些都是在高劑量下越來越常見的。

taken for longer durations.

採取的時間較長。

Still, there remains little definitive information

但是，仍然沒有什麼確切的資訊

on how common and how reversible almost any of the harms are

幾乎所有的危害都是常見的和可逆轉的；

at different levels of use.

在不同的使用水準上。

We don't know enough, about either risk factors or exposure levels,

無論是風險因素還是暴露水準，我們都不夠了解。

to definitively say any recreational steroid use will be harm-free.

明確地說，任何娛樂類固醇使用將是無害的。