How does anabolic steroids affect the heart

Heart News 11th Oct Heart News 29th Sep New campaign raises awareness of dangers of anabolic steroid misuse The misuse of anabolic steroids can significantly damage your health and increase the risk of a number of serious health problems including heart failure and stroke , a new public information campaign has warned.

Related Topics anabolic steroids heart disease heart failure high blood pressure stroke. More on Heart News. Policy summit to bring heart failure centre stage New online event for heart failure advocates and policy makers Read More Heart News 8th Nov Its Flu Season — time to get your flu vaccine Protect yourself from serious illness from flu by getting the flu vaccine Read More Heart News 12th Oct Husband and wife team up to reboot their lives James Wison-Miller rebooted his life to support his wife Nichola in her recovery from a heart attack Read More Heart News 11th Oct After analyzing test results, researchers found that steroid users had significantly weaker hearts than those who never used steroids.

Among steroid users, men that currently used anabolic steroids had significantly worse heart function than past users. Authors also found that steroid users had significantly more plaque build-up in their arteries than non-users. The longer men reported taking steroids, the worse their arteries were. Plaque build-up is a sign of heart disease, which is the No. This is the first study of its kind to demonstrate the negative effects of long-term steroid use on the heart.

According to authors, it should serve as a stark warning about the dangers of steroid use. This study shows that taking steroids, even for a short period of time, may cause permanent damage to the heart. In the United States, these drugs first became widespread among athletes in the s; so many steroid users from that era are now reaching the age when heart problems often surface.

Co-authors are: Rory B. Weiner, M. Hudson, M. Picard, M. Hutter, Jr. Pope, Jr. Materials provided by American Heart Association.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Science News. Journal Reference : Aaron L. Baggish, Rory B. Weiner, Gen Kanayama, James I.

Hudson, Michael H. Picard, Adolph M.