The question of the harm of steroids is shrouded in mystery. On one hand, the widespread use of pharmacology in professional bodybuilding seems reassuring: it appears that no one is dying, and if this flawed practice has been ongoing for decades, then there is probably no danger. On the other hand, if steroids are safe, then why ban them and list them as illegal substances?
This article will not discuss the side effects of steroid use; we have conducted a detailed scientific review of their here. Below, we will attempt to understand the reasons for the lack of a clear stance on the harm of steroids among doctors and scientists, unlike the case with drugs and alcohol, for example.
Main thoughts:
According to scientific data, on average, 3 out of 4 Americans use or have used steroids
Despite the high prevalence of doping, media attention almost always focuses exclusively on one side of the problem: the use of these substances by elite athletes… and almost never on the risk of harm to health.
In general, there is a widespread opinion in our society that the use of doping is safe and that while there are health risks and side effects, they are indeed manageable, i.e., they go away after stopping use.
But this is not the case. For example, take a look at our analysis of the consequences of steroid use, where in a long list of side effects, some items are irreversible effects.
Another common misconception is that doping is used exclusively by professionals. And this is not true.
Today, the overwhelming majority of “pharma” users are not professional athletes, but amateurs who ARE NOT able to adequately assess their potential danger to health.
The overwhelming majority of “pharma” users are not professional athletes, but amateur bodybuilders who are unable to adequately assess their potential danger to health.
The problem of steroid harm is particularly relevant for amateurs: while professionals are usually monitored by experienced pharmacologists, amateurs measure doses “by eye.” As with growth hormone and other drugs, the risk of harm is proportional to the dosage used.
Adding to this is the common practice of combining steroids with other pharmacological drugs (hormones, diuretics, insulin, clenbuterol) or with other classic stimulants (drugs)…
The use of steroids, hormones, and other types of doping is associated with an increased risk of death and a wide range of cardiovascular, mental, metabolic, endocrine, neurological diseases, infections, liver, kidney, and musculoskeletal problems. See our research on the numerous possible consequences and side effects of anabolic steroid use.
Scientists believe that it is time to urgently reveal to society the health dangers of steroid use.
The Harm of Steroids: The Scale of the Epidemic
Despite the widespread use of steroids around the world, the largest consumers are in the USA. This is explained by the fact that it is there that they began to spread to the masses from professional sports (18).
Let’s clarify: the epidemic of steroid and other drug use is not limited to the USA. But for clarity, we will use the example of the USA, as the data for this country is more extensive.
They have become very widespread in Scandinavian countries, Brazil, Britain, and continental Europe.
Asian countries such as China, Korea, and Japan have remained on the sidelines, primarily due to cultural differences: in the culture of these countries, the cult of male muscularity is not as developed, and men are less focused on it.
The greatest risk of harm from steroid use is faced by those who develop addiction, especially when the duration of use spans years.
According to American statistics, on average, 3 out of 4 Americans use or have used steroids 2. About 32% of anabolic steroid users develop an addiction.
In the entire U.S. population, this amounts to approximately 1 million males. The percentage of women is negligible at ~0.05% 2. This figure is comparable to the number of people infected with HIV or suffering from type 1 diabetes…
The average age at which individuals start taking steroids is 22-24 years, with the lower age limit being 15-16 years 7,8…
And this is just the statistics for America. Worldwide, the numbers are even higher…
Isn’t this a reason to sound the alarm? If steroids are indeed harmful.
On average, 3 out of 4 Americans use or have used steroids. Approximately 32% of steroid users develop an addiction to them.
The Harm of Steroids: Reasons for the Silence of Doctors and Scientists
Steroids and other sports pharmacology are becoming increasingly widespread, as the temptation for quick and easy transformation is very great.
This raises the question: “If it is banned and dangerous, then why not investigate the harm of steroids at a professional level, involve scientists and doctors, provide them with funding, and achieve a clear understanding of the issue to warn athletes (especially amateurs) about the dangers?”
Several factors explain the apparent silence of scientists and doctors:
1 Misinformation: who said that steroids are harmful?
Public attention is almost exclusively focused on the use of steroids and hormones by professional athletes. The emphasis is placed on how the latest advancements in pharmacology help achieve victories and that in our time, winning without them is impossible. However, hardly anyone talks about the problem of “pharmacology” use by a significantly larger group of amateurs, often willing to experiment in order to achieve quick results.
Remember: in professional sports, pre-testing of substances is a mandatory practice, as the risk of losing a professional is high; in other areas, it is too expensive.
2 Ethical considerations prohibit conducting experiments to determine the harm of steroids to health
Researchers fundamentally cannot conduct experiments to study the long-term side effects of steroid and hormone use for ethical reasons.
Therefore, most of the scientists’ conclusions about the harm of steroids and other substances are based on the study of facts regarding their actual use by athletes, as well as the results of experiments on mice and rats.
There is no point in explaining the limitations of such conclusions: scientists are not free to choose the subjects, and they have to make do with what is available. What does this lead to?
- One can conclude about the harm/harmlessness of a particular substance, but in reality, it turns out that those athletes who exhibited a certain effect are simply more predisposed to experiencing side effects.
- Athletes can only approximately reconstruct the history of their substance use; it is impossible to verify the quality of everything they injected or ingested over many years.
- Most often, athletes consume a huge number of supplements, both legal and illegal, and therefore it is impossible to accurately determine the cause of a particular side effect (a single substance, their combined action, or something else).
3 The degree of harm from steroids will become clear as the first generation of “steroid bodybuilders” ages
Since steroids and hormones only became widespread after the 1990s, most of their users have not yet reached the age of 50 1.
What does this indicate?
They have not yet reached the age of aging-related diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases. Perhaps this explains only the rare cases of acute medical issues and fatalities associated with the use of stimulants (hormones and steroids). That is, it is possible that the most unpleasant facts about the harm of steroids will only begin to manifest now, in our time, as the doping generation ages over the next two to three decades, and modern medicine is currently unable to assess the scale of the consequences.
4 “Steroid” athletes hide the fact of their use
Typically, athletes do not publicize their use of banned substances. Therefore, it is very difficult to assess the scale of the problem.
Moreover, according to scientists’ observations, amateurs are less likely to disclose their use of steroids and other substances than even drugs, possibly because then everyone will know that their appearance is a result of not skill in sports, but of chemical use 3,4.
5 “Steroid” athletes do not trust doctors
Steroid-using athletes most often do not trust doctors.
According to one survey, 56% of steroid and hormone users do not disclose this to their doctors 4. That is, most often, doctors have no idea about the scale of doping among athletes 5 and cannot reliably determine the reason for their visits.
6 The fact of steroid use cannot be established
The use of doping rarely leads to the need for hospitalization, as an overdose of even the most popular and “strongest” steroid does not result in the same consequences as an overdose of alcohol and heroin. That is, even emergency medical workers cannot document instances of steroid use by athletes 6.
Overall, the factors listed above explain why amateur athletes fall out of sight, and the issue of the harm of steroids and hormones is not obvious to most.
