A new study supports the belief that anabolic steroid abuse can damage the heart. The investigation specifically looked at long-term steroid use (approximately 9 years) in recreational bodybuilders. While it did not find steroid use was associated with excess heart muscle growth, as reported in other studies, it did find reduced heart pumping ability in most of the drug using subjects. Few experts today believe steroid use for bodybuilding/athletic purposes is without risk, though a rational (not overblown for political purposes) understanding of these risks is still lacking.

From the article:

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20100427/anabolic-steroids-may-weaken-the-heart?src=RSS_PUBLIC

“In an effort to better understand the impact of long-term anabolic steroid use on the heart, Baggish and colleagues performed heart function testing on 12 weight lifters who took steroids and seven who did not take the drugs.

The average age of the study participants was 40, and the steroid users had taken the drug for an average of nine years. The two groups were similar with respect to duration of weight lifting, total physical activity level, and weight, but the steroid users had more muscle mass than nonusers.

Doppler echocardiography ultrasound was used to examine blood flow through the heart.

In most of the steroid users, the heart’s main pumping chamber, known as the left ventricle, showed evidence of weakness during contraction.

A healthy left ventricle pumps 55% to 70% of the blood that fills the heart. This measurement is known as ejection fraction.

Ten of the 12 steroid users had ejection fractions of less than 55%, which has been linked to an increased risk for heart failure and sudden cardiac arrest.

Only one of the seven weightlifters with no history of steroid use had a low ejection fraction.”

— William Llewellyn