Suspicions of drug use by overseas YouTubers have been raised against Kim Jong-kook, a well-bodied entertainer, sparking controversy. In fact, this phenomenon is not new. This is because whenever there are large international sports events such as the Olympics, athletes' drug use is revealed through doping tests and often appears in the news. The drug that appears at this time is anabolic steroids (or anabolic hormones).
Recently, not only professional athletes but also the general public have jumped on the body-building craze and secretly purchased and used it directly through the Internet, SNS, acquaintances, or self-proclaimed experts. Anabolic steroids are hormones that changed the structure of testosterone, a male hormone, in the 1950s, increasing protein assimilation and reducing sex hormone function.
However, long-term administration of anabolic steroids or male hormones to increase muscle mass in young men can cause serious aftereffects such as poor sexual function, femininity, atrophy of testicles, hair loss, and infertility.
In the United States, it has been reported that the misuse rate of men working or using sports facilities, which we commonly call fitness centers, is between 15% and 30%. Misuse of anabolic steroids and male hormones is expanding into a public health problem, not just a problem for some sports players. There will be a class around us who think about the use of anabolic steroids or male hormones as a simple desire to improve their appearance. They are estimated to purchase over-the-counter drugs, including selective estrogen receptor regulators, aromatase inhibitors, hCGs and erectile dysfunction treatments, as well as through the Internet, SNS, or self-proclaimed gym experts.
Excessive use of anabolic steroids or testosterone reduces the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormones through negative feedback of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis. For this reason, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) decrease, resulting in a decrease in blood testosterone levels, feminine breast, testicular atrophy, sexual dysfunction, and hair loss. In order to treat these side effects and restore normal hormone production functions, consultation and treatment with a specialist is essential.
If male hormones or anabolic steroids are used for a long time, the size of the testicles becomes smaller and the number of sperm is below average. Therefore, if Kim Jong-kook wants to medically verify and refute groundless suspicions from overseas YouTubers, it is not enough to simply present testosterone levels through blood tests. In addition, the controversy is expected to be resolved if LH and FSH levels, physical examination results (test size) and semen examination results by urologists are presented.
Writer: Danielle Lee
(Picture from Unsplash)
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