Long-term use of anabolic steroids may adversely affect the heart's ability to function and lead to coronary artery disease, according to study published in Circulation.
Researchers examined 140 male weightlifters, of which 86 used anabolic steroids and 54 did not. Of the 86 users, 58 were on the drug during evaluations and 28 were not, having last used the steroids an average of 15 months before the evaluations.
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The study shows that among the anabolic steroid users, the left ventricle's ability to pump blood was significantly weaker as compared to non-drug users. Around 71 percent of steroid users who were using the drug during evaluations had a low pumping capacity, while steroid users who were off the drug during evaluations had a normal pumping capacity overall. Only two of the non-steroid users had a low pumping capacity.
Additionally, researchers found that diastolic function, the heart's ability to relax between beats, was impaired for steroid users both on-drug and off-drug during evaluations.