“It is not clear whether the illicit use of anabolic steroids has caused a lasting or even persistent impairment of testosterone production in the testicles,” said study author Dr. Jon Rasmussen, a scientist at Rigshospitalet, a highly specialized hospital affiliated with the University of Copenhagen. .
“These results suggest long-term testicular dysfunction,” Rasmussen said by email.
His message to men who are considering using them to improve their body: “Don’t even think about it. The use of anabolic steroids can cause persistent adverse effects on various organs in the body and can even be lethal.”
Anabolic steroids are synthetic variations, made in the laboratory, of the male sex hormone testosterone. The use of these artificial steroids impairs the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular hormonal axis, which then disrupts testicular testosterone production and impairs fertility, Rasmussen said.
“Recovery from that hormonal axis may be long-term or (it) may not recover at all,” he said.
Anabolic steroid use has been linked to shrunk testicles, lower testosterone levels, decreased sex drive, weak erections and low sperm counts, as well as breast growth and hair loss.
“Many people think that anabolic steroid abuse is just a problem of sports cheating among professional athletes,” said Dr. Shalender Bhasin, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who was not involved in the study.
“The real story is that the vast majority of anabolic steroid users – over 90% – are not elite athletes. In fact, they are not athletes. They are recreational bodybuilders who use these compounds to look thinner and more muscular,” said Bhasin, who chaired the testosterone treatment task force for the latest Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline.
Long-term testicular damage
The study, published on Tuesday in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, followed 132 men between 18 and 50 who did recreational strength training. The men were divided into three groups: never users, current users or ex-users of anabolic steroids who quit smoking almost three years ago.
As testosterone levels fluctuate throughout the day, the study used a new marker to determine the lack of testicular function called insulin-like serum factor 3 (INSL3), a hormone produced by the same cells in the testicles that produce testosterone.
Compared to never users, men who once used steroids had much lower INSL3 concentrations. The longer men used steroids, the lower the levels, the study found.
“One of the main conclusions of the study is that former users of anabolic steroids still have gonadal dysfunction more than 2 ½ years after cessation (anabolic steroid),” said Rasmussen.
“The study is important to confirm what doctors who care for patients already knew – long-term use of anabolic steroids can suppress testicular function, and even when these men stopped using anabolic steroids, recovery of testicular function can be incomplete or recovery may not occur, “said Bhasin.
Abuse of anabolic steroids
Liver damage can also occur, along with a rare condition called hepatic peliosis, in which bloody cysts form in the liver and rupture.
Some studies have found a link between anabolic steroids and irritability and aggression. Others have associated moderate to high doses of anabolic steroids with anxiety, mania and severe depression.
And the list of side effects continues to rise, said Bhasin.
“There is a popular, widely mistaken perception that these drugs are somehow safe and side effects can be controlled,” said Bhasin. “But studies now show that they are linked to cardiovascular disease, even early cognitive impairment.
“And 100% of men who use anabolic steroids in large doses will have problems with the production of testosterone and sperm and so, depending on the duration of use, many of these men will not fully recover when they discontinue use.”