Steroids are substances of animal or vegetable origin, which have a high biological activity.
In nature steroids are formed from isoprenoid precursors. The structural feature of steroids is the presence of condensed tetracyclic system of estrus (the former name - steran).
Steroid hormones are involved in the regulation of metabolism and some physiological functions. Cardiac glycosides are also referred to steroids. The cardiac glycosides are substances of vegetable origin (from foxglove, strophanthus, lily of the valley) which regulate heart activity.
Steroids that are used by athletes are mostly androgenic steroids and act the same way as testosterone, a natural male hormone. Steroids, which are being used for treatment of various inflammatory diseases (prednisolone, cortisone, dexamethasone, and a lot of others) are called corticosteroids, they do not have an anabolic effect.
Steroids are also believed to manifest fat-cutting properties. That is the reason why bodybuilders use these types of steroids to help the during cutting phase or diet. The main goal of the cutting steroids is to lose the body fat that was gained during bulking cycle and to maintain a bigger muscle mass. This is why such types of steroids are called cutting ones.
