Scientists at Copenhagen University Hospital discovered that anabolic steroids can continue to do harm even years after you stop taking them. The study was presented at the 25th European Congress of Endocrinology held in Istanbul.
Anabolic steroids are synthetic hormones that mimic the natural sex hormone testosterone. They are used to increase muscle mass and improve athletic performance, but they have side effects. In men, these include breast enlargement, hair loss, decreased testosterone levels, erectile dysfunction and an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, liver or kidney failure. However, little is known about their effects years after they stop using them.
In the new study, researchers looked at 64 healthy men aged 18 to 50 who were strength training in Denmark. Of these men, 28 were using anabolic steroids, 22 were former steroid users, and 14 had never used these steroids. Using positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) with the radioactive tracer rubidium-82, scientists found that both former and current steroid users had poor blood flow to the heart area.
This means that even former steroid users are more likely to develop heart disease compared to those who have never used them.
“Previous research has shown that heart function almost returns to normal after anabolic steroid cessation, but our results suggest that former anabolic steroid users have an increased risk of heart disease years after anabolic steroid cessation,” the scientists wrote.