“Natural Steroids” you’ve heard the term but what exactly does this mean; what are natural steroids? Natural steroids can be broken down into a few different categories and in many ways each can mean very different things. In short, natural steroids can simply refer to the steroids we have in our body; every human being has a host of various naturally occurring steroids in their body; as do all the various forms of plant life. Natural steroids can also refer to the over-the-counter (OTC) supplements you can purchase from your favorite supplement store. We can even further break down natural steroids into another category relating to the food we eat and the anabolic effect many foods can provide but it is the two previously mentioned we will focus on here.
Natural steroids found in the human body are lipids and in most cases produced from cholesterol in the adrenal glands and gonads. Being fat-soluble, natural steroids can pass through a cell-membrane thereby attaching themselves to a hormonal steroid receptor in-turn causing changes to the cell at hand. In most cases these steroids are transported through the blood stream to protein carriers.
A very common practice among athletes who are looking for a performance enhancing boost is to seek out natural steroids due to the synthetic versions often being banned in various sporting arenas as well as illegal in certain countries as it pertains to use in general. Many of these so-called natural steroids are not steroids at all but supplements that act in a manner to mimic the real thing. However, some of these same supplements are in-fact a form of anabolic steroid, the type of steroid needed for performance enhancement only they are items yet to be banned by governing bodies. Most of these supplements are comprised of 100% natural ingredients when combined create a steroid action in the body.
In short, there are hundreds of naturally occurring steroids in nature and many of these are produced in the human body. Contrary to popular belief steroids are not foreign substances; we can aptly apply this to anabolic steroids as well. Most anabolic steroids are based off of the naturally occurring steroidal hormone testosterone, a hormone produced by both males and females.
