All we ever hear from the general public and the media in regards to steroids are all of the negative effects they have on the body. One of their main targets is the heart. How many times have you heard somthing like, "steroids will make your heart grow to the size of a watermelon!" "Steroids will make make your heart explode!" Most of the opinions voiced are just that: opinions. So, I've been doing some research in order to obtain as many facts as possible and I thought I'd share some of my findings with you all.
One study examined arterial and cardiac structure and function in bodybuilders using steroids compared to non-steroid-using bodybuilder controls. The study mentions that the cardiovascular effects of AAS have not been investigated in detail. For the study, they recruited 20 male bodybuilders (aged 35 +/- 3 years), 10 actively using AAS and 10 who denied ever using steroids. They measure cholesterol and hormone levels, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), arterial reactivity, and left ventricular (LV) dimensions.
Not surprising, they found that the use of AAS was associated with significant decreases in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (your good cholesterol, or HDL), sex hormone binding globulin, testosterone and gonadotrophin levels and physical strength. Carotid IMT , arterial FMD and GTN responses were similar in both bodybuilding groups. In summary, they found that while high-level bodybuilding is associated with impaired vascular reactivity and increased arterial thickening, the use of AAS per se is not associated with significant abnormalities of arterial structure or function.
Sader MA, Griffiths KA, McCredie RJ, et al. Androgenic anabolic steroids and arterial structure and function in male bodybuilders. J Am Coll Cardiol 2001;37(1):224-230.
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Testosterone and other anabolic steroids as cardiovascular drugs.
Shapiro J, Christiana J, Frishman WH.
Department of Medicine, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.
There has been much interest in the effect of sex hormones on cardiovascular risk factors and as a therapeutic modality in both men and women. In this article, testosterone is considered as a possible therapy for cardiovascular disease. It has been shown that the level of serum testosterone decreases in men as they age. Healthy men with low testosterone levels have increased cardiovascular risk factors, including high fasting and 2-hour plasma glucose, serum triglycerides, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and apo A-I lipoprotein. Injections of testosterone to raise the levels to midnormal range have been shown to decrease total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, while increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Testosterone affects the clotting system by increasing thromboxane A (2) receptor activity and platelet aggregability. Testosterone has also been shown to augment the fibrinolytic system and antithrombin III activity. In men, testosterone has been shown to have antianginal effects, and endogenous levels have an inverse relationship to systolic blood pressure. Testosterone can be given in oral, injectable, pellet, and transdermal patch forms. There may be a role in administering testosterone to return men to normal physiologic range who have low serum levels. This treatment increases the risk of prostatic cancer, benign prostatism, erythrocytosis, and edema. No long-term studies of the effects of long-term testosterone replacement have been undertaken, so it is difficult to recommend this treatment as yet, but it is being considered as a therapy for augmenting skeletal muscle strength in patients with congestive heart failure.
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Androgen use by athletes: a reevaluation of the health risks.
Street C, Antonio J, Cudlipp D.
Department of Health and Human Performance, University of Houston, TX 77004, USA.
It has been estimated that 1 to 3 million male and female athletes in the United States have used androgens. Androgen use has been associated with liver dysfunction, altered blood lipids, infertility, musculotendinous injury, and psychological abnormalities. Although androgens have been available to athletes for over 50 years, there is little evidence to show that their use will cause any long-term detriment; furthermore, the use of moderate doses of androgens results in side effects that are largely benign and reversible. It is our contention that the incidence of serious health problems associated with the use of androgens by athletes has been overstated.
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I'm about to fall asleep. I'll share any other findings I come up with. I hope I haven't bored you all to tears. Sorry for the length.
kevin7
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