A new study from Denmark has found that men who use anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) have a much higher risk of developing serious heart problems.
Over an 11-year period, researchers observed that AAS users were significantly more likely to suffer from heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, and other cardiovascular diseases compared to the general population.
The findings were published in the journal Circulation.
AAS are synthetic versions of testosterone, commonly used to build muscle and increase strength. Although banned in professional sports, they are widely used in fitness and bodybuilding communities. Previous studies have linked AAS use to higher death rates, but until now, little was known about the long-term effects on heart health.
In this study, researchers analyzed health data from 1,189 men who had been penalized for using AAS in Danish fitness centers between 2006 and 2018.
These men were compared to a much larger group of 59,450 men from the general population who did not use steroids but were matched by age and sex. The researchers tracked the development of various heart conditions in both groups over more than a decade.
The results were alarming. Men who had used AAS were three times more likely to have a heart attack and nearly three times more likely to need procedures such as bypass surgery or stent placement.
The risk of blood clots (venous thromboembolism) was more than twice as high, and these men also experienced abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) at more than twice the rate of non-users.
Heart failure, a condition where the heart struggles to pump blood effectively, was 3.6 times more common in steroid users. Even more concerning, the risk of cardiomyopathy—where the heart muscle becomes abnormally enlarged and weak—was nearly nine times higher in this group.
The study did not track whether participants continued using steroids after being penalized, nor did it specify the type or amount of steroids they used. However, the long-term follow-up showed that the increased risk of heart disease persisted over time.
Researchers concluded that AAS use is strongly linked to severe cardiovascular problems and that these risks do not go away quickly, even if steroid use is stopped. These findings highlight the dangers of using anabolic steroids for muscle growth and emphasize the need for better education and awareness about the long-term health risks.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about top 10 foods for a healthy heart, and how to eat right for heart rhythm disorders.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to eat your way to cleaner arteries, and salt and heart health: does less really mean more?
The research findings can be found in Circulation.
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