Androgenic Anabolic Steroid Use Not Linked to Arterial Abnormalities in Men
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WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) Jan 05 - Among male body builders, use of androgenic anabolic steroids does not appear to cause significant abnormalities of arterial structure or function, according to a report by Australian researchers. Bodybuilding itself, however, is associated with impaired vascular reactivity and increased arterial thickness

Dr. David S. Celermajer from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown and colleagues studied 10 male bodybuilders who used androgenic anabolic steroids and 10 who did not. For all the subjects the research team measured serum lipid and hormone levels, carotid intima-media thickness, arterial reactivity and left ventricular dimensions. They also measured arterial reactivity in 10 age-matched sedentary non-bodybuilding subjects.

As reported in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the investigators found that in both bodybuilding groups, carotid intima-media thickness, arterial flow-mediated dilation and sublingual nitroglycerin responses were similar. Sublingual nitroglycerin responses were significantly lower and carotid intima-media thickness was significantly higher than in the non-bodybuilding controls.

In addition to an increase in physical strength, androgenic anabolic steroid use was associated with significant decreases in HDL cholesterol, sex hormone binding globulin, testosterone and gonadotrophin levels, and also with significant increases in left ventricular mass, Dr. Celermajer and colleagues report.

They conclude that "although [use of] androgenic anabolic steroids may therefore not be associated with early signs of arterial dysfunction or thickening, other systems may be affected." These other health risks, according to Dr. Celermajer's group, "might include sterility, gynecomastia, acne, balding, psychological changes, and risks of liver abnormalities."