Research Finds The Link Between Anabolic Steroid Abuse And Testicle Dysfunctioning

0
1285
Research Finds The Link Between Anabolic Steroid Abuse And Testicle Dysfunctioning

A higher chance of damage in testicular function among bodybuilders is detected by a set of researchers. 

According to the new research, these include men who build their muscles with the use of anabolic steroids to get the perfect body. The researchers said that they might harm themselves as eventually after years they will suffer from improper functioning of the testicles.

Research Finds The Link Between Anabolic Steroid Abuse And Testicle Dysfunctioning

The study author, Dr. John Rasmussen from Rigshospital said that it is unknown that the long-lasting or persistent impairment of the testosterone production in the testicles is caused by the illicit use of anabolic steroids. He further said through an email that the chances of a long-lasting testicular dysfunction are clear from the findings of the study. 

Research Finds The Link Between Anabolic Steroid Abuse And Testicle Dysfunctioning

The study was conducted on a set of nonathletic bodybuilders, and the findings were published on Tuesday in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism

As a message to men who are planning to use anabolic steroids, Dr. Rasmussen said that they should even avoid considering it. He added that the use of anabolic steroids can result in persistent adverse effects on several organs in the human body and those can even be lethal.  

In a further explanation, Dr. Rasmussen said that the anabolic steroids are synthetic versions of the male sex hormone testosterone and they are also lab-made. When these artificial steroids are used, they will impair the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular hormonal axis. This will eventually stop the natural production of testosterone in the testicles of men, resulting in the impairment of fertility. 

He added that the recovery from this condition can be impossible, and in some cases, it took a long time to survive this condition. 

There are several other health issues related to the use of anabolic steroids. These include shrunken testicles, lower levels of testosterone, decreased sex driver or libido, poor erections, and fewer counts of sperms. Apart from the issues related to the sex life of individuals, it will result in the growth of breasts and hair loss as well.

Analyzing the findings of the study, Dr. Shalender Bhasin, a professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, said that the abuse of anabolic steroids is not just an issue of cheating in sports events by professional athletes, as a lot of people think it is. 

Dr. Bhasin chaired the task force on testosterone treatment for the latest Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline. 

He added that the real part is that a vast majority of men who use anabolic steroids, more than 90% are not athletes at all. These people are recreational bodybuilders who want to look themselves leaner and muscular. 

The research was held on 132 men who underwent recreational strength training, aged between 18 and 50. The men who are involved in the study were divided into three different groups as never users, former users, and current users of anabolic steroids. The second category of people was selected as they quit it around 3 years earlier. 

Since there are fluctuations in the levels of testosterone every day the study used a new marker called INSL3, to determine the lack of testicular function. 

The study found that when comparing to each other, those who used the compound once had much lower levels of INSL3 than never users. The study concluded that the longer men had used them, the lower the levels of INSL3 in them. 

Other than this, a major conclusion of the study is that the former users still show gonadal dysfunction more than two and a half years following the cessation of anabolic steroids.