Pogba tested positive: effects, risks, sanctions incurred… what is testosterone, this hormone taken by the player ?

Paul Pogba a été condamné à 4 ans de suspension pour avoir été contrôlé positif à la testostérone. ANSA – ALESSANDRO DI MARCO

This Thursday, February 29, 2024, Paul Pogba was sentenced to four years of suspension by the Italian anti-doping court after having tested positive for testosterone in August 2023. But what are the effects of this hormone that has took the player ?

He was expected and he fell. This Thursday, the Italian anti-doping court delivered its verdict regarding the Paul Pogba affair and sentenced the player to four years of suspension. In August 2023, the French international tested positive for testosterone. Many athletes use this substance, but what are its real effects ?

The effects

First of all, you need to understand what testosterone is. It is a steroid hormone from the androgen group, which is naturally secreted in humans. It is often associated with muscle growth and improved physical performance, reports the Huffington Post.

If it helps athletes during competitions, we can wonder what concrete effects it provides. There are five main ones:

testosterone promotes an increase in muscle mass; it allows the reduction of body fat; it improves recovery and regeneration; it contributes to improving energy production and reduces the feeling of fatigue (therefore increasing endurance); this hormone also acts on mood, confidence and motivation.

Risks

However, it is important to remember that taking such a product is not without consequences and carries a health risk, which partly explains its ban and its control in the sporting environment.

Cardiovascular problems, liver damage, changes in mood and behavior, influence on fertility… these are the possible effects after pregnancy ;use of testosterone supplements or anabolic agents.

The reactions of "La Pioche"

"We received notification from the court this morning", a source told AFP within Juventus, saying "take note" of the court's decision.

The latter followed the prosecution's requisitions against the 30-year-old midfielder, world champion in 2018 with the Blues, the maximum penalty according to the World Anti-Doping Code.

To explain this positive doping control, the entourage of "La Pioche" had indicated that the testosterone metabolites would come from a food supplement prescribed by a doctor, which the player consulted in the United States. Testosterone, a hormone of fertility and male sexuality, promotes muscle development.

"I think the verdict is incorrect", he wrote in an Instagram post shortly after the verdict this Thursday.

“I am sad, shocked and broken that everything I have built in my professional gaming career has been taken away from me' ;quot;, he confided. But more than ever, a big doubt hangs over the continuation of his career