Anabolic agents

Anabolic-androgenic steroids
Drug class
Chemical structure of the natural AAS testosterone (androst-4-en-17β-ol-3-one).
Class identifiers
Synonyms	Anabolic steroids; Androgens
ATC code	A14A
Biological target	Androgen receptor
Chemical class	Steroids; Androstanes; Estranes
Clinical data
Drugs.com	Drug Classes
External links
MeSH	D045165

Anabolic steroids, also known more properly as anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), are steroidal androgens that include natural androgens like testosterone as well as synthetic substances that are structurally related and have similar effects to testosterone. They are anabolic and increase protein within cells, especially in skeletal muscles. AAS also have varying degrees of androgenic and virilizing effects, including induction of the development and maintenance of masculine secondary sexual characteristics such as the growth of the vocal cords and body hair. The word anabolic, referring to anabolism, comes from the Greek ἀναβολή anabole, "that which is thrown up, mound." They are one of three types of sex hormone agonists, the others being estrogens like estradiol and progestogens like progesterone.

AAS were synthesized in the 1930s, and are now used therapeutically in medicine to stimulate muscle growth and appetite, induce male puberty and treat chronic wasting conditions, such as cancer and AIDS. The American College of Sports Medicine acknowledges that AAS, in the presence of adequate diet, can contribute to increases in body weight, often as lean mass increases and that the gains in muscular strength achieved through high-intensity exercise and proper diet can be additionally increased by the use of AAS in some individuals.