There are several possible reasons for the large differences between experimental findings and empirical observations. An
incredible mystique has arisen around these substances, providing fertile ground for the placebo effect. The use of anabolic
steroids in the "real world" is considerably different from that in rigidly controlled, double-blind experiments (in a double
blind study, neither the subject nor experimenter knows who is taking the drug). Most studies have not used the same drug
dosage used by athletes. Institutional safeguards prohibit administration of high dosages of possibly dangerous substances
to human subjects. Subjects in research experiments seldom resemble accomplished weight-trained athletes. Under these
conditions, we must assess the results of sound research studies, as well as clinical and empirical field observations, in order
to obtain a realistic profile of the use, effects on performance, and side effects of these substances.