Mods, vets and members please read.....

[BOUNCER]

There's a thread currently in the training questions forum which I think should be of concern to us all.

http://www.anabolicreview.com/vbulle...513#post142513

In it I brought up the risk of increasing heart size from doing cardio and intensive training while using steroids . I have not seen any medical studies done on it and would appricate anyone with knowledge throwing in the 2 cents worth as we all know about the dangers to our Liver and other organs and the percautions neccessary to protect them.

Bouncer






(TNT thanks)

[Billy Boy]

The heart is a muscle but I doubt very much if it can be enlarged from cardio.Our muscles get bigger because we actually tear the muscle and break down the fibres of the muscle which when it repairs itsself it becomes bigger and stronger.The heart is a totally different type of muscle (Smooth muscle type which allows operation of this muscle without our control also known as reflex muscles)compared to the other fibrous muscles of the body.

If someone performs cardio only they become stronger yet lean and the heart does pretty much the same.I do believe you can strengthen the heart from cardio.

Cardiac hypertrophy, is an enlargement of the heart

[Billy Boy]

The Heart

This muscular, cone-shaped organ, about the size of a clenched fist, that pumps blood throughout the body. It beats normally about 70 times per minute by balanced nerve impulses and muscle squeezes. The organ is about 12 cm long, 8 cm wide at its broadest part, and 6 cm thick. The weight of the heart in men averages between 280 and 340 g and in women, between 230 and 280 g. The layers of the heart, starting from the outside, are the epicardium, the myocardium, and the endocardium. The chambers of the heart include two ventricles with thick muscular walls, making up most of the organ, and two atria with thin muscular walls. An inner wall (septum) separates the ventricles and extends between the atria, dividing the heart into the right and the left sides. The left side of the heart pumps blood with oxygen from the lung veins into the aorta and on to all parts of the body. The right side of the heart pumps blood from which the oxygen has been removed into the lung arteries. Both atria contract almost at the same time, followed quickly by the contraction of the ventricles. Factors affecting the pulse rate are emotion, exercise, hormones, temperature, pain, and stress.

[BOUNCER]

Yes but the issue is steroids effects on the heart muscle, especially during cardio.

[Billy Boy]

OK bro be patient I don't type that quick!!

What causes an enlarged heart?
There are many causes of enlarged heart. It can sometimes develop as a consequence of a severely leaking heart valve. This puts more workload on the heart muscle, causing the heart to enlarge to cope with the strain, and is usually accompanied by symptoms of breathlessness. This enlargement of the heart is often reversed within two years after surgical replacement of the valve.
A common cause is high blood pressure. As we get older, our blood vessels may loose their elasticity. They become less resistant, which can cause the blood pressure to rise. This causes the heart muscle to increase in size, which leads to enlargement of the heart because it has to work harder to circulated the blood. There may be few symptoms in the early stages of cardiac enlargement, unless the heart’s pumping efficiency continues to decline as a result of the increased workload.
Enlargement of the heart can occur with cases of cardiomyopathy (disorders of cardiac muscle) or coronary artery disease. It can also occur if the heart is affected by myocarditis, the result of a viral infection.

How is it detected?
Although an enlarged heart does not always cause symptoms, it can be detected through a chest x-ray or an echocardiogram (ultrasound examination of the heart). Some X-ray views of the heart can distort it’s size and falsely suggest enlargement, but other tests such as echocardiograms will help to confirm the diagnosis.

Who is likely to be affected?
Enlarged hearts are common amongst the elderly and if not accompanied by symptoms are often not a cause for concern.


Steroids raise the blood pressure and therefore could cause the heart to enlargen.At that point in time your heart is under more stress so yes steroids can cause the heart to increase in size but once these compounds have been stoipped the heart will return to its normal size.Are you doing any damage whilst the heart is increased in size? The heart can cope with small increments but add that to strenous excercise,a stressful life and a bad diet you could be asking for trouble but this is just my opinon.

I,m going to research a bit more into this tonight Bouncer

[Mrs. T]

I called a doctor and asked him. He said that steroids do indeed raise your blood pressure, which can DEFINITELY cause heart attack or stroke, but that they don't necessarily cause enlargement of the heart.

[BOUNCER]

Thanks Billy, appricated.

[Billy Boy]

Bro your Dr is not 100% accurate a stroke (cerebrovascular accident CVA)is caused when an embolus (blood clot) or by bleeding in the brain. This results in lack of oxygen to the brain tissues that are normally supplied by the vessels. The after-effects of a cerebrovascular accident depend on the location and extent of damage. Paralysis, weakness, speech defect, inability to understand language, or death may occur. Symptoms usually diminish somewhat after the first few days as brain swelling subsides. Physical therapy and speech therapy may restore much lost function.

An embolus could be blood,gas,air or even tissue that wedges into a blood vessel.Steroids are very unlikely to have a role in inflicting this type of condition

Heart attack
, a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the metabolic needs of body tissues. Extreme exertion may cause heart failure in patients with normal hearts if there is a mismatch between the needs of the body and the volume of blood pumped by the heart. Many patients develop heart failure from more than one cause. Many of the symptoms linked to heart failure are caused by the malfunction of organs other than the heart, especially the lungs, kidneys, and liver. Heart failure is closely linked to many forms of heart disease and is commonly diagnosed only after the diagnosis of heart disease. Most kinds of heart disease first affect the left side of the heart, and clinicians commonly divide heart failures into left-sided heart failure and right-sided heart failure. Swelling of hands and feet occurs with right-sided heart failure and difficulty in breathing with left-sided heart failure. Current studies indicate that heart failure in infants and children is usually the result of inherited heart disease. The common causes of heart failure after 40 years of age are coronary hardening of the arteries with coagulation of blood inside the heart, high blood pressure, disease of the heart valves, lung disease, and general damage to the heart muscle. Some individuals may suffer heart failure caused by a combination of inherited heart disease and acquired disease. Some of the factors that may cause heart failure in heart-disease patients without symptoms are sudden strenuous effort, increased work load, too much salt in the diet, sudden emotional upset, and the giving of excessive volumes of fluids by vein. The treatment for heart failure commonly involves reducing the workload of the heart, giving certain drugs, as digitalis, to increase heart-muscle strength, salt-free diets, diuretics, and surgery. Many patients with heart failure, especially elderly patients, become constipated and require laxatives, as mineral oil, milk of magnesia, and cascara sagrada. The sudden onset of fluid in the lungs linked to some cases of heart failure is a life-threatening condition requiring immediate treatment. This condition of fluid in the lungs (acute pulmonary edema) may sometimes be confused with bronchial asthma, and caution is required in the giving of appropriate drugs

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Excerpted from Mosby's Medical Encyclopedia
Copyright (c) 1994-5, 1996, 1997 The Learning Company Inc. All Rights Reserved

High blood pressure does enlargen the heart but in the avg human this is slight and does not effect the person.However if you do suffer from HBP steroids could increase this situation and put the heart under increased stress.

I think the answers are as follows:

Steroids effect everyone differently.
If you have a history of HBP steroids may increase this.
HBP can enlargen the heart however in the avg human this is not a major problem.

I,m still researching Bouncer!

[SPEEDY]

From what I remember for my medical classes, I think that the heart does not have receptors for testosterone . The heart is inderectly affected by changes in blood pressure during strenuous exercise. In other words testosterone does not affect transcription in the myocardium.