Anti-estrogen drugs are widely used in bodybuilding. They are also very vigorously discussed. Learn about the benefits and dangers of estradiol in the athlete's body. Very often you can find information that antiestrogens increase the secretion of testosterone. Thanks to this, they are able to eliminate a large number of side effects that can occur when using AAS. To understand how these statements are true, you need to understand the estrogens themselves and their derivatives in bodybuilding.
What are estrogens?
A whole group of female sex hormones is called estrogens. There are two main estrogens - estradiol and estrone. The most powerful of these is the first. It is produced by the ovaries from progestogen. In addition, a small part of estradiol is obtained during the conversion of testosterone to this hormone. The reverse process also occurs in the body of men and is called aromatization.
Estrone has a weaker effect, but it is produced by the adrenal glands. Estrogens are present in small quantities in the male body and at the same time play a rather important role. Let's say the brain has a large number of estrogen-type receptors. Also estrogens affect libido, normalize cholesterol balance. However, in relation to sports, the most important role of estrogens is their ability to create a synergistic effect in conjunction with testosterone in the process of muscle tissue growth. But with an increase in the concentration of estrogen in the male body, various side effects may appear.
The relationship of testosterone and estrogen
In the early eighties, scientists suggested that estrogens are actively involved in regulating the production of luteinizing hormone. As you know, this substance plays a similar role in relation to the male hormone. At the same time, a group of German researchers hypothesized that the concentration of testosterone can be increased due to a decrease in the level of female hormones.
According to this theory, the concentration of estrogen should be reduced to such a level that signs of gynecomastia do not appear. At the same time, female hormones will continue to positively affect sex drive and the ratio of bad to good cholesterol.
Thus, when using anabolic steroids in athletes, there are two ways to achieve this goal:
- Refusal of AAS, prone to conversion into estrogens;
- The use of medications of the antiestrogen group.
However, raising the level of the male hormone is important for natural athletes as well, which is also quite possible with the use of antiestrogens. Today there is a fairly large selection of these drugs. We will now take a look at the ones that are most commonly used in bodybuilding.
Non-steroidal estrogen antagonists
This group of drugs was discovered in the early eighties of the last century. They were created for use in traditional medicine, but as often happens, they soon came to sports. The most popular among the medicines of this group of antiestrogens is Nolvadex (aka Tamoxifen). He, however, like Clomid, is very popular among athletes.
The mechanism of work of these drugs is the ability to bind to estrogen-type receptors, which prevents estrogen from interacting with them. In theory, these medications should not affect the receptors themselves, but in practice everything happens differently. The same Tamoxifen acts on the cells of some body tissues as an estrogen antagonist, and on others as a female hormone.
Clomid was created as an estrogen antagonist, but in the body it also stimulates the synthesis of luteinizing hormone. It should also be noted that girls need to take it in short cycles, since under its influence neoplasms form in the ovaries. When used by men, no serious negative effects have been found.
Antiaromatase drugs of steroid nature
The most popular drug in this group in bodybuilding is Proviron. It has androgenic properties, which allows it to slow down the rate of aromatization. Although Proviron can interact with androgen-type receptors and in theory can cause corresponding side effects, in practice this does not happen.
Proviron is used not only by men, but also by girls. Although for them this is not the best choice, since its androgenic activity of the drug is almost similar to testosterone. Also note that Proviron is very often used in conjunction with Anadrol and Equipoise.
Anti-aromatase drugs of synthetic origin
One of these drugs is Teslac. Its molecular structure is very similar to androgens, but at the same time, the drug does not have androgenic activity. It should be noted that Teslac has a short half-life and should be taken four times a day at a dosage of 250 milligrams.
The most powerful drug in this group of antiestrogens is Anastrozole. Moreover, for the male body, it can even be overly powerful. It is very important to note that Anastrozole has a long half-life of 30-60 hours. It is also important not to use Anastrozole in a dose exceeding 1 milligram of daily use.
Flavonoids-antiestrogens
These are substances of plant origin, which can have various effects on the body. The most potent substance in this group is alpha-naphthoflavone. More recently, this antiestrogen has been very popular. This is due to its fairly good efficiency and the complete absence of side effects. The dosage of the substance should be selected on a strictly individual basis.
Also, athletes use Kharazin. This substance is somewhat weaker than the previous one, but at the same time it is a good aromatase inhibitor. But side effects are also inherent in it.
For an informative and interesting information about estrogens in bodybuilding, see this video:
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