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02/25/09
Anabolic steroids have quite a number of effects on the blood. One of the most notable among these is the fact that the blood’s clotting factors i.e. the platelets are reduced in quantity. The blood is therefore unable to clot optimally. It is without a doubt that the body is exposed to various amounts of stress and strain throughout a normal day. The bodybuilders’ body is exposed to more of this stress and strain and as a result more damage is expected. As a result of this damage an athletes’ circulatory system suffers many internal leaks.
Despite these leaks however there are usually little or no tell-tale signs. If the damage is extensive the leaks may show up as bruises. The blood platelets are responsible for ensuring that the leaks are sealed off thanks to the clotting action. The use of anabolic steroids is also linked with damage to the connective tissues. With regard to the blood, the steroids are thought to be responsible for a situation where the remainder of the platelets get clumped together. This medical condition is referred to as hyperaggregability. The condition results in formation of blood clots that may lead to heart attacks, strokes and death.
The effects of steroid use are also felt in the blood vessels. The arteries start hardening quite early in the life of a steroid user. The stiffening of the arterial walls is caused by the decrease of elastin and an increase in the levels of collagen. This condition is particularly aggravated by the prolonged use of high dosages of anabolic steroids. The body is known to respond quite differently to testosterone that has not been produced within it. A good example is where the body tends to use its own testosterone to reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood but when foreign testosterone is introduced the net effect tends to be an increase in the blood’s cholesterol.
This happens because the foreign steroid reduces bodily HDL and increases triglycerides and LDL thus an increase in cholesterol. The levels of the three variables return to normal when steroid use is halted. A continued use of steroids will lead to the hardening of the arteries as has been described in the opening paragraph.
Anabolic steroids have been known to cause enlargement in the size of the heart in both test animals and humans. These are indeed the same characteristics that are noticed in the heart muscle in the event of severe heart failure. This is the reason why the deaths of most young athletes are attributed to steroid use. In some circumstances investigations into such deaths have revealed that apart from enlargement of the heart tissues some of these are usually dead even before the victim succumbs.
A basic explanation for this is that the heart muscles and fibers usually grow larger than the blood supply an thus some tissue areas are poorly supplied with blood. As a result the new cells that are produced in these areas die off and the next thing to happen is probably a massive heart attack.
