Anabolic steroids raise heart disease risk

A new study has found that anabolic steroid users may be elevating their risk of developing atrial fibrillation, a heart condition.

The research is published in the Journal of Physiology and conducted by an interdisciplinary consortium of clinicians and researchers led by University of Birmingham and collaborators in Germany.

The team discovered that male sex hormones, such as testosterone, also called androgenic anabolic steroids (AAS), which are misused for muscle building particularly among in young men can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation in individuals genetically predisposed to heart diseases.

Dr LauraSommerfeld, Postdoctoral Researcher at the UKE Hamburg said: “Our study can significantly contribute to understanding the impact on the heart health of young men who misuse anabolic steroids to increase muscle mass. Recent reports have shown that young men in particular are being targeted on social media such as TikTok being sold testosterone products, but we have shown how the misuse of steroids carries a specific risk that many people will not be aware of.”

The researchers investigated the impact on arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a genetic condition mainly caused by disruptions in cell connections essential for heart muscle stability. Analysing clinical data from UHB and other sources, they verified that ARVC is more common and severe in men than women. Laboratory experiments revealed that six weeks of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) intake, coupled with compromised cell connections, could diminish sodium channel function in heart tissue and slow down signal conduction in the atria.

“Heart muscle diseases like ARVC affect young, athletic individuals and can lead to life-threatening heart rhythm disturbances. Atrial fibrillation is a common condition in the general population. Elevated testosterone levels can result in an earlier onset of these diseases.” researchers concluded.

Reference: DOI: 10.1113/JP284597