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Steroids are naturally occurring substances in plants and animals. Steroid hormones are a subset of steroids in general. Naturally-occurring steroid hormones in humans include androgens, including testosterone, estrogens, corticosteroids, which regulate metabolism and immune function, and anabolic steroids which affect muscle and bone synthesis.

Synthetic analogs of the naturally-occurring steroid hormones have been developed for various purposes, including birth control.

In popular usage, the term "steroids" usually refers to two specific synthetic anabolic steroid hormones, oxandrolone and nandrolone. These were developed to treat conditions such as anemia and osteoporosis, which cause muscle and bone loss, respectively.

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14y ago

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