Apr 29 2010
Micro-Study Says Anabolic Steroid Use Weakens The Heart
In a study conducted by a group of doctors revealed that the long term use of anabolic steroids can weaken the heart and could increase the risk of heart failure. The findings were published in the latest edition of the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Heart Failure.
Previous studies have little data to prove that anabolic steroids can directly harm the heart and its normal functions. Most studies were centered on the effects of steroids on the kidneys and liver. The researchers also noted that the previous studies conducted in Europe used professional athletes as the subject of the study. Most of them took different supplements which makes it very difficult to associate heart problems to steroids alone. And since they are competitive athletes, it is also expected that they have healthier bodies.
The doctors from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston headed by Dr. Aaron L. Baggish decided to make a separate study to determine the extent of anabolic steroids’ effects to the heart. But their study only focused on recreational athletes or bodybuilders. The group recruited 12 male weightlifters with an average age of 40. The data from these weightlifters who are taking 675 milligrams of steroids per week for nine years was compared to other weightlifters with the same statistics except that they did not took steroids.
Dr. Baggish told WebMD that steroids use is not only confined in professional sports but it is now becoming popular for casual athletes. “Steroid use in the general public wasn’t really an issue until the late 1980s or even the mid-1990s. Even now, when we hear about steroids it’s because a professional baseball player or cyclist has taken them. But the vast majority of steroid use is now happening among casual athletes who work 9-to-5 jobs,” he said.
The group used the Doppler echocardiographytechnique to examine the left ventricle’s function and structure. It uses an ultrasound to conduct graphical assessment of the heart particularly its blood flow. With this method, the ejection fraction of the heart is measured. The normal ejection fraction is between 55% to 70%. 10 weightlifters who took steroids for longer periods showed a lower percentage with an average of 50% while those who did not took any anabolic steroids has a higher ejection fraction averaging 59%. Only 1 of the seven non-steroid user returned a below normal figure. Low ejection fraction increases the risk of heart disease and heart failure. It was also noted that the steroid group had impaired diastolic functions.
The researchers hope that with their findings, people will now recognize the effects of steroids to the heart. “What we hope is that people start recognizing steroid use as a potential cause of heart disease and a cause of otherwise unexplained heart dysfunction in young people,” said Baggish. “I think for the first time we’re starting to realize that the heart is one of the organs that is negatively impacted by long-term steroid use,” he added.
Since it was only a micro-study, other questions are still left unanswered. According to Dr. Baggish, it is not yet clear whether the impact of long term steroid use on the heart is still reversible once these people stoppped using the drug.
Their findings will also help health practitioners in the proper diagnosis of patients with heart problems. They can now include anabolic steroids use as one of the possible causes of left ventricular dysfunction in young people who are considered healthy according to Dr. Baggish. “Doctors need to ask their patients if they use steroids.”
Ann F. Bolger, spokeswoman of the American Heart Association, said that further studies should be conducted to confirm the findings. However, she agreed that the use of anabolic steroid needs to be on the radar of evaluating clinician regarding the heart disease risks of their patients. “This is a wake-up call to practitioners to ask about steroid use,” said Bolger who is a professor of clinical medicine at the University of California. “We would never dream of not asking if a patient smokes or if they have high blood pressure or diabetes. But I’m guessing very few ask about steroid use,” she said.
