Ironslave
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Athletes who take anabolic steroids may gain muscular bulk and strength, but they can also impair kidney function, according to a report given at the 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition of the American Society of Nephrology in San Diego, CA. The data suggest that long-term steroid usage has substantial negative consequences on the kidneys that were previously unknown.
Reports of elite sportsmen abusing anabolic steroids are becoming more widespread. Most people understand that taking steroids is bad for your health, but their effects on the kidneys were unknown until today. Leal Herlitz, MD (Columbia University Medical Center) and colleagues have published the first research documenting renal impairment caused by long-term anabolic steroid misuse. The researchers looked at a group of ten bodybuilders who had been using steroids for a long time and had developed protein leaks into their urine as well as substantial losses in kidney function. Nine of the ten bodybuilders tested positive for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a kind of scarring within the kidneys, according to kidney testing. When the kidneys are overworked, this illness develops. The kidney damage reported in bodybuilders appears to be more severe than that seen in morbidly obese persons.
With the exception of one guy with severe renal illness who suffered end-stage kidney failure and required dialysis after discontinuing steroid usage, the bodybuilders' kidney abnormalities improved after they stopped using steroids. In addition, one of the bodybuilders resumed using steroids and experienced a recurrence of severe renal disease.
The researchers argue that excessive gains in muscle mass force the kidneys to raise their filtration rate, putting these organs under unnecessary strain. Steroids are also likely to have direct harmful effects on the kidneys. "Athletes who take anabolic steroids, as well as the doctors who care for them, must be informed of the potentially catastrophic hazards to the kidney," Dr. Herlitz stated.
Reports of elite sportsmen abusing anabolic steroids are becoming more widespread. Most people understand that taking steroids is bad for your health, but their effects on the kidneys were unknown until today. Leal Herlitz, MD (Columbia University Medical Center) and colleagues have published the first research documenting renal impairment caused by long-term anabolic steroid misuse. The researchers looked at a group of ten bodybuilders who had been using steroids for a long time and had developed protein leaks into their urine as well as substantial losses in kidney function. Nine of the ten bodybuilders tested positive for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a kind of scarring within the kidneys, according to kidney testing. When the kidneys are overworked, this illness develops. The kidney damage reported in bodybuilders appears to be more severe than that seen in morbidly obese persons.
With the exception of one guy with severe renal illness who suffered end-stage kidney failure and required dialysis after discontinuing steroid usage, the bodybuilders' kidney abnormalities improved after they stopped using steroids. In addition, one of the bodybuilders resumed using steroids and experienced a recurrence of severe renal disease.
The researchers argue that excessive gains in muscle mass force the kidneys to raise their filtration rate, putting these organs under unnecessary strain. Steroids are also likely to have direct harmful effects on the kidneys. "Athletes who take anabolic steroids, as well as the doctors who care for them, must be informed of the potentially catastrophic hazards to the kidney," Dr. Herlitz stated.
