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Iron Game
02-17-2017, 02:25 AM
Steroids - The Unknown Side Effect?
They May Help You Live Longer








Anabolic steroids are the most widely used performance-enhancing drug. Elite bodybuilders have been using anabolic steroids to build muscle mass and strength for quite some time now.1 In fact, the use of anabolic steroids has likely increased over time, as one study investigating their use by competitive bodybuilders showed that 77 percent of the respondents reported using anabolic steroids. While anabolic steroid use is very high among topflight bodybuilders, the truth is the vast majority of steroid users are not elite bodybuilders or professional athletes, but rather, individuals simply wanting to look leaner and more muscular. In fact, steroid use in America has become quite the public health problem, with roughly 3 million individuals in the United States having utilized these drugs.2





Muscle-Building Impact of Steroids


The reason for the widespread consumption of anabolic steroids is they do, indeed, vigorously enhance muscle growth and strength. The primary anabolic effect from anabolic steroid use is caused when the steroid molecule binds and activates the steroid receptor within the muscle cell, which alters the shape of the steroid receptor. The change in shape of the activated steroid receptor causes it to translocate into the nucleus of the muscle cell, where it can directly bind to DNA— triggering the production of certain protein molecules within the muscle cell that have the ability to increase muscle growth and strength. For instance, one of the target proteins synthesized in response to anabolic steroid use is the muscle protein follistatin, which directly blocks the negative effects of the muscle-depleting molecule myostatin, which ultimately results in muscle growth.3





Adverse Side Effects From Steroid Use


The positive influence on muscle growth from anabolic steroid use does not come without negative side effects, as anabolic steroids also trigger protein synthesis in non-muscle cells, such as the prostate, which promotes the unwanted enlargement of the prostate gland— increasing the probability of developing prostate cancer. Anabolic steroids have also been shown to dramatically impair cardiac function by pathologically increasing cardiac muscle hypertrophy, which decreases the capacity of the heart to pump blood throughout the body.4In addition to the undesirable effects of anabolic steroids on the function of cardiac tissue, steroids— particularly the 17-alpha-alkylated anabolic steroids like Anadrol5— reduce the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (the “good cholesterol”) while increasing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (the “bad cholesterol”), which is a well-established blood lipid profile associated with cardiovascular disease.6





Juiced-Up Telomeres Fights Illness and Increases Life Span


So, how is it possible for anabolic steroids to increase life span when they have been connected to all of these life-threatening diseases? Well, as previously mentioned, anabolic steroids directly influence gene expression by activating the steroid receptor, which turns on the expression of many different genes. One of the many genes that can be cranked up by anabolic steroids is the gene for an enzyme called telomerase— which, in certain cases, can improve health and increase life span.





The improved well-being associated with telomerase function occurs because telomerase maintains the length of the end segments of every chromosome in your body. These end regions of your chromosomes— known as telomeres— become shorter every time a cell divides, which happens readily, and telomerase maintains its length as best as it can for as long as it can. However, over time, telomerase is simply unable to maintain the complete telomere length— as shortening of the telomeres caused by cell division eventually outpaces the telomere-replenishing activity of telomerase, gradually resulting in shorter telomeres. Eventually, telomeres shrink to a length that causes enough of a genetic insult that cells die, which ultimately leads to a decline in tissue function, organ function and overall health as we grow older.





In addition to the normal shortening of the telomere, some individuals have genetic defects that exacerbate telomere erosion— causing a more rapid decrease in telomere length, triggering certain diseases such as bone marrow failure, live cirrhosis and pulmonary fibrosis.7 As previously mentioned, certain anabolic steroids improve telomere length, providing a potential therapeutic for telomere-related diseases. In fact, one study by Townsley et al. showed that subjects genetically prone to shorter telomeres had a significant increase in telomere length after being orally administered the anabolic steroid danazol.7 Danazol, by the way, was a steroid used by male bodybuilders many decades ago because of its anti-estrogen qualities. At any rate, the results of this study clearly indicate that certain anabolic steroids may be able to mitigate disease resulting from eroded telomeres by increasing telomere length— and because shorter telomeres reduce life span, perhaps anabolic steroids could also increase life span by increasing telomere length.





Telomere Length Has to Be Just Right


Well, it turns out, just like everything else in biology, the influence of anabolic steroids on health and longevity isn’t that straightforward. While there is plenty of evidence that shorter telomeres have been associated with many premature aging diseases8 and, to the contrary, longer telomeres in white blood cells reduce the likelihood of dying from certain cancers9, too much telomerase activity from anabolic steroid use generating longer telomeres can be just as deleterious to your health as telomeres that are too short.





That is because excessive telomerase function can actually help cancer cells survive10, as cancer cells are extremely susceptible to cell death triggered by short telomeres. That is because cancer cells divide a lot, making them prone to shorter telomeres that could trigger the cancer cell to die. Therefore, if one triggers telomerase activity by taking certain anabolic steroids, one might increase the length of telomeres in certain cancer cells— improving their viability, likely resulting in more cancer growth.





So, to reduce the risk of cancer and improve overall health and longevity, it seems that we need an intermediate level of telomerase activity. Thus, the capacity of certain anabolic steroids may improve the health of those with telomere-shortening diseases, and these potent muscle-building drugs will likely increase telomere length in healthy individuals— excessively improving the probability of developing life-threatening diseases such as cancer, and ultimately reducing the ability to live a long and healthy life.





For most of Michael Rudolph’s career he has been engrossed in the exercise world as either an athlete (he played college football at Hofstra University), personal trainer or as a research scientist (he earned a B.Sc. in Exercise Science at Hofstra University and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Stony Brook University). After earning his Ph.D., Michael investigated the molecular biology of exercise as a fellow at Harvard Medical School and Columbia University for over eight years. That research contributed seminally to understanding the function of the incredibly important cellular energy sensor AMPK— leading to numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals including the journal Nature. Michael is currently a scientist working at the New York Structural Biology Center doing contract work for the Department of Defense on a project involving national security.





References:


1. Michel G and Baulieu EE. Androgen receptor in rat skeletal muscle: characterization and physiological variations. Endocrinology 1980;107, 2088-2098.


2. Pope HG Jr, Wood RI, et al. Adverse health consequences of performance-enhancing drugs: an Endocrine Society scientific statement. Endocr Rev 2014;35, 341-375.


3. Simental JA, Sar M, et al. Transcriptional activation and nuclear targeting signals of the human androgen receptor. J Biol Chem 1991;266, 510-518.


4. Benten WP, Lieberherr M, et al. Testosterone induces Ca2+ influx via non-genomic surface receptors in activated T cells. FEBS Lett 1997;407, 211-214.


5. Ceballos G, Figueroa L, et al. Acute and nongenomic effects of testosterone on isolated and perfused rat heart. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 1999;33, 691-697.


6. Bhasin S, Woodhouse L, et al. Older men are as responsive as young men to the anabolic effects of graded doses of testosterone on the skeletal muscle. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2005;90, 678-688.


7. Townsley DM, Dumitriu B, et al. Danazol Treatment for Telomere Diseases. N Engl J Med 2016;374, 1922-1931.


8. Gomes NM, Ryder OA, et al. Comparative biology of mammalian telomeres: hypotheses on ancestral states and the roles of telomeres in longevity determination. Aging Cell 2012;10, 761-768.


9. Willeit P, Willeit J, et al. Telomere length and risk of incident cancer and cancer mortality. Jama 2010;304, 69-75.

nixter
02-17-2017, 03:59 AM
Interesting read

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Mountain_Man
02-17-2017, 09:57 AM
Fantastic thread IG thanks agin for another smart thread .:bber:

Userat204
02-21-2017, 05:25 AM
Very nice. I can truly appreciate when someone takes the time to read medical journals, peer reviewed studies, etc and post information coming from actual scientist and their studies and theories. Ill have to look into danazol as I have never seen it or used it in my 15 + years and I honestly plan to use some dose of anabolic/androgenics for the rest of my life mainly in the form of TRT since my days of heavy long hash cycling has kinda come to an end the past couple of years which I have increased my test dose occasionally during that time or added in a little deca or Npp or even dbol or anavar but not very often and not for long periods of time. It use to be nothing for me to use a gram to 1200mg or test with 800 mg of deca or deca and Npp combined for 30 weeks at a time. But I then went slowly down to a TRT dose and just added little amounts of others for a few weeks at a time. I had considered nadrolone at the same dose as my T while on TRT but decided against it. I do think I'm going to incorporate 2iu max of gh daily but only pharmaceutical that I see cone from a USA pharmacy after reading so many studies on the benefits that it can have. To many generics of gh are said to still contain to much ecoli from the process of making generic gh causing your body to develop an immunity to th period so if rather play it safe and go with gh like serostims I can see come right from the pharmacy itself. But I won't have a source forever so ill eventually have to find another way which at the prices I'm getting it for I couldn't afford to purchase it outright from a lab and again I want to see it come from the pharmacy so ill continue to research Drs in my area and once my supply is no longer hopefully I will have found a Dr to prescribe it. TRT was easy enough to get from the Drs a couple years back and so many were promoting it and now I'm not seeing the signs up anymore and many Drs are requesting you to be sent to an endo to get it which many insurance companies don't want to approve yet they approve estrogen for women and women can actually benefit greatly from a very small dose of test monitored by a dr. I have seen it not only increase their ability to lose fat and gain muscle, and I'm not talking body building in talking having a nice body in their 40's and 50's while maintaining a very high sex drive on a small dose which will be different for each woman but also without the effects of hair growth or deepening voice or enlargement of the clitoris so it really needs to be monitored closely but test can be incorporated and the estro reduced in some cases and women will have better overall health and sexual life's with other benefits as well but again there aren't enough Drs with the knowledge to put women and men on test and and ai when needed at the right doses for the person which you can't just measure by a general number and say if your above or below so many ng/dl then its enough because each person is different and one guy may feel great at 300ng/dl while another may need to be at 900ng/dl but 99% of Drs only are looking at that total T number not the free T and estro combination to get things right. Plus you need to monitor thyroid and other hormones which can get expensive and not enough Drs have the knowledge. I would stay away from Drs who just give you enough for 150mg a week and say that should be fine because they don't know what they are doing. But if you can't afford regular lab testing yourself and understand it then I would go on self TRT either. You will end up with heart disease horrible lipids, plaque filled arteries. So there is a fine line and these need to be concerns of anyone using gear but I know so many younger guys and even a good number of older guys who only want gear never an AI no pct because cycling doesn't really exist much any more its either you stay on all the time if you can afford to or not lift at all which makes no sense but also just staying on high doses and constantly just adding something different without seeing the effect it can have on your body. I know I was young and dumb and I'm only in my 30's but I let my lipids get so bad my Dr said she had never seen anyone with them that bad. My tryglicerides were perfect I believe due to plenty of liquid fish oils but I also take NAC 600mg x2 daily all year long and 500 mg x 2 of Tumeric daily all year regardless of gear and other than lipids my bloodwork would be perfect actually my Dr told me it was impressive and what she normally would see in a healthy 20 year old minus the tables lipids so I had to fix that and medication for lipids I don't think is the answer but I did use it for enough time to correct it but diet, exercise and supplements can help. There are some companies that sell jugs of powdered greens that still maintain all the health benefits that you drink twice a day and can help a lot. But what many of us love like steak and other red meats is going to cause issues. Sugars are horrible as well sorry for the rant my poi t is great post first off and consider your health not just being big so you feel better about yourself. Be a good size lean and healthy but its easier said than done. I think Sarms and peptides like igf lr3 can be a huge help in your overall success to maintain good size and still maintain your health. Igf for most ppl is great and Sarms can work as well as gear like ostarine can really be used to maintain size without the side effects and incorporate igf which imo is a long term use to see true benefits and we have one of the best sources out for it not to mention Sarms as well and that includes Sarms for increased natural gh. That can be a big enough increase in natural gh to provide the added health benefits and overtime muscle but gh isn't ever going to be something that is going to make you huge overnight. I think years of real gh will not only help you maintain size but allow you to go beyond what you genetically could have as well as igf lr3 and you still can use some gear along with some ostarine. Mix it up and see what works for you

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Iron Game
02-22-2017, 11:27 PM
Good info

Iron Game
03-31-2017, 12:53 AM
bump

Iron Game
09-23-2017, 10:04 PM
Bump