What are ibutamoren and SARMs? Performance-enhancing drugs for which Tristan Thompson was arrested ensure that users run faster, recover faster and strengthen muscles

Health
By Liam
  • Tristan Thompson has been suspended for 25 games for failed drug tests
  • He was found to be using growth hormones and performance-enhancing drugs
  • READ MORE: Urgent warning about ‘dangerous’ muscle-building drugs

By Emily Joshu Health reporter for Dailymail.Com

Published: | Updated:

Basketball champion Tristan Thompson was suspended from the NBA this week after he was found to be using growth hormones and performance-enhancing drugs.

Thompson, who plays center for the Cleveland Cavaliers, has been suspended without pay for 25 games after testing positive for ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033.

Both drugs are on the NBA’s banned substance list because they provide significant boosts to muscle mass, strength and endurance – even though they have potentially life-changing side effects.

Tristan Thompson was given the long-term ban after testing positive for ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033, a ‘growth hormone’ and muscle enhancer for bodybuilders respectively

The medications Thompson took are intended to help athletes build faster and improve performance. Thompson pictured here in 2011

Thompson pictured here earlier this month

The medications Thompson took are intended to help athletes build faster and improve performance. Thompson pictured in 2011 (left) and this month (right)

Ibutamoren is a type of growth hormone secretagogues, which work by increasing the production of growth hormones such as HGH in the body.

They act on the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in the brain, telling them to keep HGH levels high throughout the day.

They help the body recover faster from injuries or tough workouts, which can improve performance, improve sleep, accelerate fat loss, stimulate appetite and improve muscle mass.

Similarly, Thompson also used SARM LGD-4033, a type of selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM).

SARMs are man-made chemicals that resemble testosterone to the body and bind to receptors responsible for muscle growth.

They are designed for people with muscle wasting diseases and to be less toxic than steroids.

Specifically, SARMs are thought to increase muscle strength and reduce the amount of time muscles need to rest, causing users to bulk up more quickly.

However, it has been shown that these medications can have long-lasting health effects.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned last year that SARMs have been linked to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, psychosis, sleep problems, sexual dysfunction, liver damage and infertility.

The agency has also stated that ibutamoren has been linked to a greater chance of developing congestive heart failure.

Donald D Ashley, director of the FDA’s Office of Compliance, said, “We are extremely concerned about unscrupulous companies marketing bodybuilding products with potentially dangerous ingredients.”

‘Bodybuilding products containing selective androgen receptor modulators, or SARMs, are not approved by the FDA and are associated with serious safety risks, including the potential to increase the risk of heart attack or stroke and life-threatening reactions such as liver damage.’

Both drugs are banned by the NBA, as well as sports authorities such as the NCAA and the World Anti-Doping Agency.

What are SARMs?

SARMs are man-made chemicals that resemble testosterone to the body and bind to receptors responsible for muscle growth.

They are designed for people with muscle wasting diseases and to be less toxic than steroids.

How do they work?

Like steroids, SARMs bind to the androgen receptors, causing changes in DNA that allow muscles to grow bigger and faster.

Steroids are a blunt tool that also affects other parts of the body, leading to side effects such as prostate problems, liver damage, hair loss and acne.

SARMs are designed to be ’tissue selective’: they target the muscles without triggering the same set of responses.

But similar problems have also been observed in SARM users.

What are the side effects?

They cause significant hormonal imbalances in men and women, especially at high doses.

In men, when they stop taking the drugs, they stop the body’s natural production of testosterone, which can shrink their testicles, decrease their sex drive, cause mental health problems, and even make them infertile.

While taking SARMS, women will experience virilization – the process of physically turning into a man – causing them to grow facial hair and develop a deep voice.

SARMs are also extremely toxic to the body.

Because they are taken orally in pill form, rather than injected like most steroids, they must be processed by the digestive system and liver.

The liver responds by overproducing certain enzymes that can leak into the bloodstream and cause inflammation, leading to problems with heart, blood pressure and other organ damage.

Are SARMs legal?

Yes, in the US and UK SARMs are currently legal to purchase due to a loophole in the law.

They can be bought and sold as ‘research chemicals’, but should not be used on humans.

Many products rely on legal disclaimers to circumvent the law and warn customers, “These products are not sold for human consumption under any circumstances.”

They may not be marketed as supplements.

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