Anabolics forever
The abuse of anabolics has led to a prolonged androgen deficiency
Maria Azarova, Naked Science
Anabolic steroids are man–made drugs, varieties of the male sex hormone testosterone. The principle of their action is to enhance protein synthesis inside cells, due to which hypertrophy of muscle fibers occurs. Doctors prescribe steroids to treat hormonal problems, such as delayed puberty, and they are also used to treat diseases that cause muscle loss, such as cancer and AIDS.
However, these drugs have earned notoriety thanks to athletes and bodybuilders who use them as doping to increase productivity and efficiency or improve appearance. Anabolics are usually taken orally, injected into the muscles or applied to the skin in the form of a gel or cream. Doses can be ten or even 100 times higher than those prescribed for the treatment of diseases.
Anabolic steroids do not act like narcotic substances: they do not have the same short-term effect on the brain and do not activate the reward system directly to cause the so-called "buzz". Nevertheless, an incorrect reception can lead to negative mental consequences: among them are paranoid jealousy, irritability and aggression, impaired judgment, mania, a tendency to false beliefs and ideas. In addition, there is a risk of kidney problems, liver damage, tumors, blood clots, increased blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.
Most often, anabolics are not taken for medical purposes, of course, by men. For them, the consequences may be as follows: testicular contraction, decreased sperm count, baldness, breast enlargement and an increased risk of prostate cancer. According to a new study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (Rasmussen et al., Serum insulin-like factor 3 levels are reduced in former androgen users suggesting impacted Leydig cell capacity), the abuse of anabolic steroids is not only fraught with dangerous side effects directly during the course, but can also have a bad effect on testicular function years later.
"There is still a debate about whether the use of anabolic steroids causes a long–term testosterone deficiency," he noted John J. Rasmussen, MD and lead author of the study, an employee of the University Clinic of Copenhagen (Denmark). His team identified the hormone produced by Leydig cells – clusters in the layers of connective tissue between the sinuous seminal tubules of the testicle, which act as the main source of testosterone – as a potential biomarker of testicular function.
The fact is that the level of male sex hormone in the blood can vary greatly throughout the day and depends on individual characteristics. Therefore, the new marker – insulin–like factor 3 (INSL3) - was considered more stable.
The study involved 132 men aged 18 to 50 years (on average – 32 years) who were actively engaged in strength training. They were divided into three groups: the first included 46 people who took anabolic steroids; the second – 42 men who took such drugs in the past (but quit at least 32 months ago). The third group served as a control group: its members never used anabolics.
It turned out that among the participants of the first group, the level of INSL3 protein was significantly reduced compared to men from the second and third groups. But, if compared with those who have never taken steroids, even its former adherents had lower concentrations of INSL3: 0.39 versus 0.59 micrograms per liter. Scientists found that the longer a person used anabolics, the lower the INSL3 level was.
Although a clinically significant difference in the content of INSL3 protein has not yet been established, the results showed that men who took steroids in the past, but refused them later, still have a risk later in life. to face hypogonadism – a syndrome accompanied by insufficiency of the functions of the sex glands and a violation of the synthesis of sex hormones.
"Our results raise the question of whether some former anabolic steroid users should receive therapeutic stimulant therapy," Rasmussen added. According to him, the way out may be taking drugs that help block the production of the female sex hormone estrogen or turn it into testosterone: aromatase inhibitors and selective estrogen receptor modulators.
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