🩺 Weekend Wellness Myth

❌ Myth: Young people who exercise regularly don't need to worry about heart disease from anabolic steroids.

✅ Reality: Anabolic steroid misuse can cause serious cardiovascular harm, even in young, physically active individuals.

Research in recreational athletes and strength-trained men has linked anabolic steroid misuse to:

🫀 Coronary artery plaque and accelerated atherosclerosis

🩸 Increased red blood cell count and blood viscosity

❤️ Reduced heart function and cardiomyopathy

⚡ Increased risk of arrhythmias

📈 Hypertension, increasing cardiovascular workload and stroke risk

🚨 Myocardial infarction and heart failure

🦵 Venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).

The strength of evidence linking steroid misuse directly to VTE remains less established than for several other cardiovascular complications.

Regular exercise is protective, but it does not eliminate the cardiovascular risks of anabolic steroids.

Looking fit is not the same as being cardiovascular healthy.

#AnabolicSteroids #HeartHealth #Cardiology #WeekendWellness #SportsMedicine

📚 PubMed:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28533317/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39945117/