The Pros and Cons of Testosterone

Testosterone made you the man you are today. It is the most powerful androgen, or male sex hormone. During your teenage years, testosterone manufacture started up to complete the development of the reproductive system and to produce all those fun secondary-sex characteristics. When you take up bodybuilding, during your weight-training workout, the concentration of testosterone in your blood increases by as much as 37 percent.

High testosterone levels are the biochemical key to major and speedy lean muscle development. There is just no other more significant hormonal factor in the muscle-building equation. In the world of sports nutrition science, there are fortunately super-advanced, maximum-potency testosterone boosters to help ramp up your all-important mass-building, strength-increasing testosterone levels.

Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. It is derived from cholesterol, like other steroid hormones, and is created by the Leydig cells in the testes. The effects of testosterone on humans and other vertebrates take place via two major systems: by activation of the androgen receptor, and by conversion to estradiol and activation of certain estrogen receptors.

Conditions related to a decline in hormones in aging adults:

- Tiredness

- Muscle loss or inability to gain muscle

- Low sex drive

- Erectile dysfunction

- Memory loss and a lack of focus

- Irritability

- Weight gain and low metabolism

The name of the game in the supplement industry has always been generating the ideal anabolic situation. The use of testosterone boosters is one of the most controversial areas in today's bodybuilding.

Drugs work, and using testosterone isn't bad for your health. The negative is that testosterone is just a drop in the bucket. Too many bodybuilders, particularly the competitive ones, try almost every hormone and drug remotely connected to any sort of ergogenic or anabolic process, and a large number of drugs to deal with the side effects of these hormones and drugs.

Nineteen molecules of carbon, 28 molecules of hydrogen, and 2 molecules of carbon comprise testosterone. How can you increase your body's natural production of testosterone? Here's a list of some of the most popular over-the-counter testosterone boosters presently on the market.

Androstenedione

This product is one of the many testosterone boosters available on the market. Its chemical variants are Androstenediol, Nor-Androstenedione, and Nor-Androstenediol. These products were initially developed in Germany and were intended to have anabolic steroid-like properties.

The main difference between these products and anabolic steroids is that anabolic steroids are synthetic derivatives of testosterone, the male anabolic hormone. The Andro products are precursors of testosterone, which means that they are not really testosterone, but they can turn into it through biochemical reactions in the body. They are plant-derived substances and they become testosterone when they come in contact with enzymes in your liver. Andro is able to boost testosterone levels up to 600%, and is considered by many people to be a "weaker steroid."

The testosterone boosting effects of Andro products are subject to possible unwanted side effects such as head hair loss, body hair growth, acne, gynecomastia and increased aggression. These side effects are much less severe than those of steroids. The milder form of "Roid Rage" associated with Andro can be taken out on the weights in the gym.

The results of Andro do not compare with those of steroids, but Andro is much safer, and also much cheaper. Androgenic products should only be used by healthy males 21 years of age or older. It is recommended that you use these products for no more than 6 weeks at a time followed by a 4-week break to allow your body to produce hormones naturally.

On October 8, 2004 Senate Bill 2195, also called the Androstenedione Ban, was passed by unanimous consent in the United States Senate, and has been signed into law by President Bush. The Congress, by passing this bill, has amended the Controlled Substances Act to include Androstenedione supplements such as 4 Androstenediol, 5 Androstenediol, etc.

Tribulus Terrestris

Tribulus Terrestris is a Bulgarian root that has been used for thousands of years to signal the body's sensors into producing more testosterone. Tribulus has long been used in different societies as an aphrodisiac and treatment for sexual dysfunction.

The effects of Tribulus include increased luteinizing hormone release and thus increased testosterone production, increased sperm production, increased ejaculatory volume, and increased libido. In animal husbandry studies Tribulus was shown to increase rutting behavior in rams as well as in boars. Tribulus extract is extremely safe and appears to have no undesirable side effects.

Quality assurance firm ChromaDex rated Tribex the no. 1 Tribulus supplier in the world in December 2005.

"We've tested hundreds of Tribulus Terrestris samples and Tribex is the most potent, full-spectrum extraction we've analyzed," says Frank Jaksch, President of ChromaDex. "Most of the Tribulus we test is either a poor-quality extract or a counterfeit that's been spiked with protodioscin-containing extracts, like fenugreek and wild yam."

DHEA

An awful "mother hormone" that breaks down into all four kinds of hormones, including estrogen and pregnelone.

hGH-PH Complex

This product has the capacity to radically increase growth hormone production, fuel IGF-1 and boost testosterone levels. It uses a three-phase system to accomplish this objective: a pituitary response system, an amino acid potentiation system and a testosterone potentiation system. Pituitary peptides, 4-Androdiol, 5-Androdiol, Nor-4-Androdiol and Nor-4-Androdione are the powerful secretagogues contained in this product.