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Are Testosterone Boosters a Steroid?

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You want to build more muscle, ramp up your strength and improve your athleticism.

And at this point you’ve probably researched the safest and most effective ways to compliment your training and speed up your progress – good, high-quality supplements.

And two keep coming up – testosterone boosters and steroids.

But what’s the difference? And which is safest?

In this article we’ll break down everything you need to know.

If you’re unsure whether steroids or a T booster is best for you, read on…


The Benefits of Raising Your T Levels

Testosterone (T) is a naturally occurring steroid hormone. It is made in the Leydig cells of the testes and has two main functions:

  • Anabolic – increases muscle mass by elevating protein synthesis. Keeps you strong and athletic.
  • Androgenic – helps you develop broad shoulders, a square chin and a confident and authoritative personality.

Not only does it offer all of these benefits, higher levels of T have been found to improve body composition by obliterating belly fat. It also helps you maintain metabolic health therefore reducing long-term health risk.

Lastly, there is a huge amount of evidence to show that your libido and your sexual performance remains high when your testosterone levels are elevated. Your sexual appetite, sperm quality and all other bedroom-related characteristics are optimized too.

And if you have low T?

Falling below the lower threshold of 300 ng.dL means you have clinically low T – what’s called hypogonadism.

And with this comes a loss in muscle mass and strength, an increase in belly fat and health risk. Finally, if your hormone levels are too low you’ll begin to lose your libido and sexual performance.

As you can see, it’s really is important that as a man you do all you can to keep testosterone high.



Do You Want Natural or Synthetic Testosterone?

Both steroids and test boosters elevate your testosterone levels – the difference is though that one does it naturally (and safely) and the other does it synthetically (which as you can imagine carries greater risks).

What are steroids?

There are lots of different types of steroids you might come across. These range from the type that your doctor might give you to help you recover from an illness, to the type that we want to focus on – those that are taken by hardcore bodybuilders purely to get jacked.

Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic versions of testosterone. They are taken to build muscle and improve strength by directly influencing T levels and can provide you with super-maximal T levels.

Dependent on the type of steroid you choose, they exert their effects on muscle, bone, reproductive tissue or the central nervous system [1].

They are typically taken by either an oral course, which is in tablet form, or liquid form which is taken by injecting directly into the muscle.

Either way, steroids are created in a lab and are an artificial way of elevating testosterone.

What are test boosters?

Testosterone boosters are not steroids. They don’t contain any artificial compounds and instead contain only natural nutrients.

T boosters don’t directly elevate hormone levels. Instead, they provide everything your body needs to magnify and optimize T by giving it the necessary hormonal building blocks it needs.

These include:

  • Optimizing enzymatic reactions needed to form steroid hormones
  • Speeding up the signals being sent to the Leydig cells, therefore forcing them to make more T
  • Inhibiting the compounds responsible for keeping testosterone low

They influence the body to make more testosterone rather than having a direct effect like steroids do.

Natural nutrients such as Vitamin D, D-aspartic acid and Fenugreek have all been found to raise T levels in clinical trials and form the basis of all good boosters.

And because these ingredients are natural, they don’t provide the massive side effects that steroids do.

Just be aware though that not all T boosters are high quality – some use sub-par ingredients or low quantities that just aren’t effective. Always check the ingredients, reviews and testimonials of each product.


Fresh fruit and vegetables full of natural nutrients to boost T levels


Key Point: Testosterone boosters contain natural nutrients whereas steroids are synthetic testosterone compounds made in a lab.


T Boosters vs Steroids: Side Effects

There is a lot of misconception about what steroids can do to your body. Unfortunately all you tend to hear are the benefits, and not the side effect-related horror stories.

Steroids have been found to cause a wide range of side effects, ranging from minor to life threatening. Some of these can be reversed if you stop taking them, but others can leave long-term adverse effects.

Common side effects include:

  • Infertility, shrinking testicles and reduced sperm quality
  • Gynecomastia – development of breast tissue
  • Metabolic health risk – alterations in cholesterol and blood lipids
  • Increased risk of heart, liver and kidney disease
  • Changes in mood – increased aggression, suicidal tendencies and depression.
  • Hair loss, oily skin and severe acne

Do T boosters have any side effects?

Not really.

The only time you’d find any side effects would be if you chose to take more than is recommended by the manufacturer. Even then, the only side effects you are likely to encounter might be headaches, nausea, or stomach upset. Once you go back to the proper dosage these will soon disappear.

Don’t forget that test boosters are nutrient based – they contain only vitamins and minerals that are found in various foods.


Man injecting steroids into his leg with a needle


Key Point: There are a large number of very severe side effects that can occur through anabolic steroid use. T boosters on the other hand are safe.


Are Test Boosters and Steroids Legal?

There are a number of countries that class steroids as controlled substances – basically the manufacturing, importation and possession of them is illegal. These countries include the US, United Kingdom and Canada.

The problem is though that many other countries are able to buy them without prescription. This means that they are able to make profit from them online without violating their own laws. But they’re still importing them illegally.

Testosterone boosters are legal due to them only containing natural ingredients. However, be aware that some manufacturers have been caught including unlisted steroids in there products [2]. For that reason we suggest only purchasing your booster from reputable brands that are open and honest about what’s included in their product – that means no propriety blends.

Can athletes use steroids or test boosters?

AAS have been on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical Commission banned substances list since 1974. That means that they are not allowed under any circumstances in competitive sport.

In 1999, The World Anti-Doing Agency (WADA) was set up to independently conduct scientific research into illegal drug taking in sport. A big part of the research, education and development of the organisation is relating to steroid use. It’s one of the most common issues in sport.

Test boosters are not on the IOC or WADA database as controlled substances, therefore they are classed as legal. 


Strong, muscular bodybuilder with high testosterone levels training bodyweight in the park


What Do We Recommend?

When you look at the benefits and side effects of steroids and test boosters there’s only one winner… testosterone boosters.

Why? Because they raise T levels in a safe way and have no side effects. Steroids on the other hand have a whole host of potential side effects and adverse reactions that far outweigh the benefits.

Why take risks when there are natural, safe ways to optimize hormone levels?


TestoFuel

TestoFuel helps you build muscle and improve performance by providing you with everything your body needs to ramp up testosterone safely and naturally without the need for steroids. 

  • Muscle Growth and Strength – Bigger size and stronger lifts
  • Improved Recovery – Faster growth and less soreness
  • Enhanced Enhanced Energy – More motivation to train stronger for longer
  • Healthy Libido – Ramp up sex drive and improve confidence

TestoFuel is ideal for improving your performance both in and out of the gym, and helping you attain that all-important muscular physique.


References

  1. Kicman, AT et al. Pharmacology of anabolic steroids. Br J Pharmacol. 2008 Jun; 154(3): 502–521
  2. FDA. Warning on body building products marketed as containing steroids or steroid-like substances.