Anabolic steroids are synthetic hormones that can increase muscle production and inhibit muscular breakdown. Some athletes use steroids in the hopes of becoming quicker, hitting further, lifting larger weights, jumping higher, or having greater stamina. However, most studies show that these drugs have no effect on top speed, distance traveled, or time spent at high speeds. Some athletes believe that using steroids will make them run faster. This is not true; although using steroids may increase your body's ability to repair damage to the connective tissue that makes up muscles, it does not affect how fast you can move your legs. Other athletes think that using steroids will make them jump higher. Again, this is not true. While using steroids may increase the strength of your muscles, it does not change how high you can jump. Still other athletes believe that using steroids will make them live longer. Scientists are still studying this question, but some evidence suggests that steroid users may live longer than non-users. Whether this is due to reduced injury from training or better health habits is not clear. The use of anabolic steroids has become a major issue in sports medicine. Because these drugs affect growth mechanisms in the body, they can also be dangerous if used by anyone who is not physically developed enough for their own body weight.