steroids

Do anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) push up blood pressure or don’t they? The evidence to date has been equivocal, but now a new study from the University of Glamorgan in Wales has confirmed that these drugs really do cause significant increases in blood pressure in combination with resistance training and are particularly contraindicated for athletes with existing borderline hypertension.

The study compared 16 male amateur bodybuilders who were already taking steroids (in doses greatly in excess of those prescribed for therapeutic use) with 16 matched controls who had never used performance-enhancing substances. All were non-smokers with at least three years’ weight training experience and similar training schedules.

Measurements of blood pressure, resting heart rate and body composition were taken from both groups at three stages: before the anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) group embarked on their steroid cycle, at the end phase of their cycle and 6-8 weeks post-cycle.

While no significant cardiovascular changes occurred in the control group over the study period, significant increases were found for both diastolic and mean arterial pressure in the anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) group from pre-to post-cycle. There was also a significant increase in resting heart rate in the anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) group. However, these changes fell short of clinical hypertension and all had returned to pre-cycle baseline levels 6-8 weeks following drug cessation.

‘The data from this study supports the assertion that anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) acutely influences blood pressure, specifically diastolic blood pressure,’ state the researchers. ‘However, the findings do not support the hypothesis that anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) use causes hypertension, as no AAS-using subject exhibited clinically defined hypertension during the course of this study.’

Nonetheless, they conclude, the findings ‘provide a contra-indication to anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) use, especially in borderline hypertensives’.

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 6(3): 307-312