Difference Between Anabolic and Androgenic

 


All anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are derivatives of testosterone. Each has an index ratio assigned to it on how anabolic (actual building effects --> muscle tissue, bone density, ...) versus androgenic (male-like effects --> body hair, deepening the voice, prostate ... effects that originally helped you to become a man from the time you were a fetus to a matured adult) the compound is. A purely anabolic steroid would be ideal but it is not currently an option - they all exert some androgenic effects... but how much varies depending on the compound.

Testosterone is a natural androgen and the one used as a reference drug to the others. On the theraputic index for anabolic steroids, testosterone rates a 1 as the standard. Anabolic steroids were orignially developed to alter the testosterone molecule to increase anabolic functions and decrease androgenic - the ratio being the therapeutic index. For example, compared to testosterone... Deca scores an 11-12... significantly more anabolic than androgenic.

The basic goal of stacking compounds is to increase the total AAS use with as little unwanted androgenic side effects as possible - stuff like prostate enlargement, effects on male pattern bladness, increase bodyhair, ... sometimes to limit water and/or fat retention as well...

For example, using 500mg of testosterone with 500mg of nandrolone per week versus using 1000mg of testosterone can have less of an impact on the prostate since you basically cut the total weekly androgen use with a nortestosterone diriative that has lower androgenic effects...

So why is testosterone even use in a cycle if it's deriatives have less androgenic side effects? First off - nothing is better than testosterone. It is the hormone that your body is most accustomed to... you have it running through your veins every day your life. You shouldn't shut your system without, at the very minimal use a replacement dose of testosterone. But from clinical studies - you get the most anabolic effects from test using at least 300mg per week. I can not recall the pathway that many of heavy androgenic steroids take to have such a pronounced an effect on strength and muscle building - but I believe it has much more to do with the cross-overbinding to glucocorticoid receptors (cortisol blocking) than increaseing protein synthesis...

But in one sentance... androgenic means male-like while anabolic refers to the tissue building effects.