Science Meets Fitness & Exercise
Anabolic Steroids - Side Effects
The Side Effects of Anabolic Steroids
There has been much debate and conjecture about AAS and their efficacy and safety as an ergogenic aid. Banned in all sports, they are seen as a ‘cheat’ mechanism that goes against the whole premise behind sport, ‘a level playing field’. Over the past few years, many individuals have been banned from high-level competition due to the use and detection of AAS among other substances. However, this article will not look at the question of whether using AAS is cheating or otherwise. This article will look at what evidence exists to support the various governments, the sporting bodies and most of society’s perception that AAS are highly dangerous drugs.
For purposes of that investigative process, the author would first like to state that he does not in any way wish to offend or detract from the loss that individuals have suffered due to the perceived use of AAS; and that any opinions offered herein, are offered as objectively as possible by highlighting all of the details of the cases that are discussed.
With that said, let us now look at why there is such a huge cloud over the use of steroids in terms of health implications. The furore has been fuelled by a string of deaths among sportsmen and bodybuilders over the past two decades or so. What follows is a list of some of the deaths that have arisen in professional athletes in recent years. It is by no means extensive or all inclusive.
Deaths of Famous Bodybuilders
Deaths of Famous Wrestlers
Most of these athletes competed in America where the average age of death for a male is currently 78.7 years. Some of the athletes named above died in earlier decades but in all cases their deaths can certainly be viewed at best, as being premature. Especially when one considers that many of them were still competing and therefore would have been at the height of their fitness. If one were too statistically analyse the number of deaths per ‘sport’ population against deaths in general population, I am sure that the findings would be significant in terms of the sporting professionals having a higher than average death rate in relation to age. But this still does not evidence in any way that AAS are the causal influence behind these deaths. The ‘Centre for Disease Control Prevention (CDC)’ identified that ‘congestive heart failure hospitalizations for those under age 65 increased from 23% to 29% over a 10 year period’ (Hall, M. 2012) in America. This indicates that heart disease cases have risen by 6% in under 65 year old individuals in the last 10 years. Is everyone taking steroids?
Sadly Missed Athletes
The media is very quick in jumping on the steroids ‘bandwagon’ whenever a famous athlete dies. In respect of this comment, although it does not involve an elite athlete, the following story is perhaps a good example of such media ignorance and ‘propaganda’, heightened by the emotionality of parental love.
On June 26th, 2012 the ‘Mirror’ newspaper ran the headline ‘Steroids Killed Our Son’. The story was reporting on a mother’s viewpoint regarding the reasons why her son of 17, very sadly died. The tagline read ‘Teenager tried to bulk up his muscles. Within weeks he was dead’. Anyone with a minuscule knowledge of physiological adaptive processes would understand that for morphological changes to happen to the body, in this case, the brain, a far greater time span would be required. Even if steroids were being significantly abused I am not aware of an AAS that has this majorly concerning side effect. Other parts of the story read ‘While a post-mortem was inconclusive, Tina believed the muscle-building drugs, which he bought illegally, caused his brain to swell’ (Nilufer, A. 2012). Should the statement of a grieving parent be perceived as evidence over and above that of an experienced medical pathologist? This is subjective sensationalist reporting at its best. The rest of the story explains the symptoms that her young son experienced prior to death after just ‘3 weeks’ on the steroids. Again, why I am not a medical practitioner, I have never experienced any other story that states that AAS could cause such symptoms so fast. Unless the batch was tainted or ‘cut’ down with another drug. The evidence goes on to state that the two ‘anabolic steroids salesman’ had been prosecuted for selling 50 tablets. This would equate to approximately 3 Dianabol a day for 3 weeks at the weakest end of the steroid spectrum to 3 nap 50’s at the other end of the continuum. This is by no means extreme dosing and should not have caused such tragic events to occur. The summary of this one story epitomises the whole media propagated ignorance with respect to the use of AAS. This bias reporting method nurtures a sociological belief that steroids are harmful drugs. It’s now time to look at the science or lack of it, behind this claim.
Taylor Hooton (2003) - Another Sad Story When Young Death Was Blamed on Steroids
Deaths as a Result of Using Steroids
There can be no blanket statement that steroids do or do not cause fatal medical issues. Statistics cannot illustrate the likelihood of steroids being a causal factor in recorded deaths. For example, if an individual dies from a heart condition such as heart failure or heart attack; the death will be recorded as exactly that, even if steroids might have been an influential factor in the development of that heart condition. So it is not the intention of this discussion to attempt to interpret such data. Instead, the intention is to provide information which will allow an informed opinion.
The figures below indicate the number of deaths and causes within the United Kingdom in 2012.