Dietary supplements can be a great tool to help you stay healthy, but many bodybuilders mistreat supplements in order to get bigger faster. The most commonly misused kind of drug among bodybuilders is the anabolic steroid. Sure, you might see results in less time than a natural bodybuilder, but the disadvantages of steroids greatly outweigh the benefits.

First off, steroids are illegal. Not only that, but competitive bodybuilders often have to undergo drug tests before being allowed to enter an event. If you get caught with steroids, you can ruin your reputation both in and out of the bodybuilding world. The negative side effects to steroids are not only legal matters, however. Steroids can do dangerous things to your body health-wise as well.

Men and women react differently to steroids, but the same types of dangers are present for both sexes. Steroids will cause men's testicles to shrink, sperm count to lower, and chest to develop breasts. It can also cause the voice to deepen and hair to fall out. Women will also experience deepened voices and balding, as well as enlargement of the clitoris, and growth of facial hair. Teens who have not yet finished growing will find their growth stunted by steroids. If these side effects don't seem too bad for you, continue on. It gets worse.

Steroids first damage your liver by causing you to develop jaundice, a disease with flu-like symptoms that turns your skin yellow. They have also been known to cause liver tumors and cancer. The bulk of the adverse effect, however, is placed on the heart. Steroids can cause enlargement of the heart and hardening of the arteries, both of which are precursors to heart disease and, ultimately, heart failure. Abusing these supplements also has been known to cause skin spots, acne, trembling, and what is known as "roid rage"-uncontrollable anger that causes users to physically want to fight.

So what do steroids do anyway? Well, truth be told, steroids are only useful if you are a dedicated bodybuilder already-you won't gain any muscle mass simply by popping pills or injecting yourself (a risky behavior on its own). Steroids help your muscles recover from training, so while most body builders need at least 48 hours between sessions to see results, users are ready to train again in a few hours. Therefore, users can build muscles faster. Remember, faster is not always better. Some bodybuilders are pushing for steroids to be legal when used responsibly, but professionals generally agree that abusing steroids will lead to an untimely death.