Bodybuilders Dying Young: Are Steroids to Blame?

[tarmyg]

Some of you old bastards (like me) might remember the book from the 80s titled Death in the Locker Room. It was a book that, in my opinion, was typical of the Nancy Regan era in that it fell in line with the “Just Say No” drug campaign, with commercials that showed an egg frying in a pan with the mantra “This is your brain on drugs.” Steroids came on big in the 80s, pushing out of the subcultures of bodybuilding and weight lifting and into track and field and other professional sports. This book was written to basically deter steroid use under the pretense that steroids will kill you.

I was only a teen when the book came out (I was still in high school), and I read FLEX magazine for the bible that it was at that time. I wanted nothing more than to get, as my elitefts™ shirts say, “hyooge.” Even as a dumbass teen, I figured that even if steroids weren’t a good idea, they likely weren’t killing people left and right because guys like Arnold didn’t seem to be very dead or appear to be sliding six feet under anytime soon. I was buying the notion that steroids would kill me about as much as I was buying that my brain would fry in a skillet if I smoked reefer. (I was going to go with “blunt,” but reefer was a more accurate 80s colloquialism. I hope my efforts are appreciated.)

Herein lies the problem. It appears that it has taken me 32 years to come back around to where I think there was more to that book than I thought at the time. The reality is that bodybuilders, strength athletes and just regular Joes who have trained for years have started dropping over dead, and the bodies are beginning to stack up so to speak.

There always seemed to be a lack of body bags back then to back up the argument that steroids were killing people, or was it simply that we didn’t have the reach that we have today with social media? There could have been deaths that simply weren’t discussed because those deaths didn’t make it into the papers or on to the news because that was really the only way we would have heard about them. Today, we hear everything in real time because social media is so far reaching. Had we had social media then, would we have heard the same things then that we do now?

For those pro-steroid people reading this who are getting more and more pissed as they get deeper into this article, settle down. Even if you don’t believe that steroids kill, you have to admit that there is quite a body count within the last four or five years of guys who have used steroids extensively dying from either heart-related deaths or kidney failure. This is essentially undeniable I would think. Whether it's coincidence or the numbers are in line with the regular, non-steroid using population can be debated forever.

This list of premature deaths of people who have admitted to extensive steroid use is alarming to me. It seems the typical age for heart-related deaths and kidney failure in this demographic is roughly late 40s and sometimes early 50s. To a 23-year-old kid, sure, this seems pretty old, but I can assure you that when you get to be 45 and still feel 23 (don't laugh you young bastard; it's true), this could be concerning to you based on your past decisions.

Whether steroids cause premature death, I'm unsure. I'm not a doctor and I don’t play one on the internet. Just because a doctor says that steroids will kill you doesn’t make it true. Even the dumbest doctor is more intelligent than I am, but let’s be honest here. Many doctors have matter of fact opinions on a lot of shit and, when you start asking more questions, you find out that they don’t know as much as they thought they did and they get irritated that you're asking so many questions. I remember clearly how in 1988 I was going through the Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR) in class (because looking up steroids was far more fun than doing algebra), and for every single steroid compound listed in the PDR, there was an asterisk that stated clearly: “anabolic steroids do not increase athletic performance.” If you read something so stupid in such a well-respected journal, you tend to lose trust in other opinions from the medical community.

What isn't debatable is that steroids will increase the risk of heart disease and potential kidney issues. Now just because you smoke cigarettes doesn’t mean you'll get cancer. Just because you use steroids doesn’t mean you'll die from them. Just know that use will increase the risk, and these two areas where risk is increased correlates with the large amount of untimely deaths in the last four or five years. Steroid compounds increase blood viscosity (rbc/hemoglobin/hematocrit). This makes the heart work harder and it makes the blood more likely to clot (read stroke). The size of the heart will increase as well. A normal and common side effect of steroid use is high blood pressure, and high blood pressure over the long term will contribute to poor kidney function. Though some individuals will have more severe symptoms than others, the side effects listed here are undeniable.

To be clear, I didn't write this article to take a stance either against steroid use or for it. I don’t care what you or anyone else does with your life or your body. That's your business, not mine. The point that I'm trying to make is that we need to take a much closer look at what appears to be a connection to steroid use and a lot of guys not living to see 50 years old. In my estimation, the majority of long-term steroid users don't think that steroid use is a health concern. At least if you are going to make the decision to use steroids, you should want to have accurate information on what the consequences could be long term. I know I would want to know, and I think we need to take a closer look. Just sayin’.

REF:Bodybuilders Dying Young: Are Steroids to Blame? / Elite FTS

[djgreen]

I didn't read the whole thing but yea I do believe they can kill if used improperly for long term you got guys using insulin now and people like boston loyd using multiple grams of every steroid known to man. so yea it would to be hard to believe they don't have any risk hell you can die from just about any drug all people need is common sense and proper direction

[Brett N]

I 100% agree that steroids can kill you if you abuse them. Abuse and use are two different things. Someone that is educated, does bloodwork and takes proper percautions is a lot less likely to have serious problems as someone who goes by broscience and takes this because a big guy in the gym said it would make him huge. These guys that have no idea what blood work to do, no idea what ai is and no idea how to PCT are the ones destroying their bodies. Even Arnold has said that back then they were all just experimenting. It is more of a science today if you take the time to learn about it and follow what you have learned.

[davidtheman100]

I think if your goal is to be a professional bodybuilder you gotta have a doctor that is checking everything and giving you stuff for your BP, taking blood at least a few times a year and limiting your narcotic use and drinking....also starting Insulin and high doses of GH at LATE as possible in your career and if you aren't even winning local shows without them it is time to reconsider

[lovbyts]

I think most would have died anyways because most are related to heart disease and in detected defects. I don't think the steroids caused them but the activity may have stressed it sooner than later.

Watch the widow maker. I think there is more of a corporation with it than steroids.

[Far from massive]

I would be the first to say that steroids certainly do have health consequences when used in quantity. However the ENTIRE lifestyle of a competitive bodybuilder does to a FAR greater degree than steroids IMHO. When you add Slin/HGH/Diuretics/Diet etc. the cocktail of all of these is FAR more dangerous than steroids alone regardless of the quantity(unless you are talking about orals or running so many injectables you are leaking oil like a synthol user) all this is just my personal opinion though, no I can not quote a medical article LOL

[Booz]

Dosent help when using copious amounts of Roids along with shit loads of painkillers and more than likely Rec drugs...
Your heart can only take so much...
I'm not saying this implies to all of the deaths but I bet it dies to some....

[jimmyinkedup]

Here is the thing, a bodybuilding lifestyle overall is NOT a healthy one. It is ironic that so often something that is entered into in the pursuit of good health can turn into one of the most unhealthy lifestyles you can live.
The human body was not made to undergo the stress we put on it. Constant physical stress we place on our bodies lifting, the copious amounts of food we eat when bulking. The focus on building muscle and anaerobic activity as opposed to cardio health and aerobic activity.
When you combine an inherently unhealthy lifestyle with compounds that compromise general health markers or factors such as cholesterol and blood pressure there is bound to be an increase in mortality numbers.
I think in some cases the connection between steroids and death is more prevalent (ie Andreas Munzer) and in others the connection is not as prevalent as the person was likely to die early anyway. The truly shocking stories of dying young and steroid use come when (as Lvbyts pointed out) someone with certain genetic predispositions combines the unhealthy bodyuilding lifestyle with steroids. That is like stacking all the cards against you almost assuring an early death.

[Bonaparte]

Being really ****ing big and lifting heavy both place a lot of strain on your cardiovascular system. Throw in high doses of everything you can get your hands on and a "win or die trying" attitude, and it is pretty obvious that being a pro BB'er is going to shorten your lifespan.

[Honkey_Kong]

Most of us on here just mention the fact that those bodybuilders are big guys using sometimes insane doses of peds and food. But I'm willing to bet you a lot of those guys who are dropping dead are also regularly abusing rec drugs.

I know of several guys I see at the gym who are reasonably big dudes that come Friday and Saturday night are out living the party life. And I bet you quite a few of them are also not just using those drugs on the weekends either.

Not that I think bodybuilding is a healthy lifestyle, but adding rec drugs that are known killers definitely isn't helping.

[Obs]

I look at it this way... not using gear, I will wake up eat 4 ibuprofen, have another 4 about lunch, repeat every day and drink twenty beers on a Saturday night. On gear no beer no ibuprofen. Something is gonna kill me. I don't want to die young. My genetic heredity comes with good hearts and kidneys and livers and terrible joints. I don't think the gear is any worse than what I would be doing without it. I hope this is true. Live long brothers.

[KimboHalfSlice]

If you're willing to sacrifice your health to be bigger, stronger, faster, then something's wrong.

When I say health, I'm not talking about chicken pocks, I'm talking about heart attack, stroke, liver failure, kidney failure.

I speak as someone who spent 4.5 weeks in a hospital bed with a severe liver injury (1.5g Test, 1.2g Tren , 100mg Dbol ED).

Direct quote from my family doctor before hospitalisation: "Your liver's going to fail"

Direct quote from my original psychiatrist after hospitalisation: "You suffered a severe liver injury"

Of course though I didn't give a flying fuck at the time..... I mean with that said though I'm also the guy who injected himself with vodka to see if it would hit him quicker.

[AR's King Silabolin]

Here is the thing, a bodybuilding lifestyle overall is NOT a healthy one. It is ironic that so often something that is entered into in the pursuit of good health can turn into one of the most unhealthy lifestyles you can live.
The human body was not made to undergo the stress we put on it. Constant physical stress we place on our bodies lifting, the copious amounts of food we eat when bulking. The focus on building muscle and anaerobic activity as opposed to cardio health and aerobic activity.
When you combine an inherently unhealthy lifestyle with compounds that compromise general health markers or factors such as cholesterol and blood pressure there is bound to be an increase in mortality numbers.
I think in some cases the connection between steroids and death is more prevalent (ie Andreas Munzer) and in others the connection is not as prevalent as the person was likely to die early anyway. The truly shocking stories of dying young and steroid use come when (as Lvbyts pointed out) someone with certain genetic predispositions combines the unhealthy bodyuilding lifestyle with steroids. That is like stacking all the cards against you almost assuring an early death.

Jimmii!!!!...welcome back bro. Tried to defend you but got bashed but i dont care. We need your knowhow. I really dont give a rats ass about other things! We `re all momos.

[marcus300]

Jimmii!!!!...welcome back bro. Tried to defend you but got bashed but i dont care. We need your knowhow. I really dont give a rats ass about other things! We `re all momos.

Check the date of his post, he's not back he is banned for scamming.

[InternalFire]

Check the date of his post, he's not back he is banned for scamming.

alike attract alike

I mean with that said though I'm also the guy who injected himself with vodka to see if it would hit him quicker.

wtf man... and how did it go? did it hit you like a freight train?

[KimboHalfSlice]

wtf man... and how did it go? did it hit you like a freight train?

I was already fucked off my face on a few different drugs at the time.

I'm told my cheeks flushed bright red though.

I spoke to a retired doctor a year or two afterward and he said you could easily have taken an allergic reaction to any of the ingredients.

[InternalFire]

I was already fucked off my face on a few different drugs at the time.

I'm told my cheeks flushed bright red though.

I spoke to a retired doctor a year or two afterward and he said you could easily have taken an allergic reaction to any of the ingredients.

dam ... ever thought reattempting or heard anyone else do that?

now that's what I call LOCO

[KimboHalfSlice]

dam ... ever thought reattempting or heard anyone else do that?

now that's what I call LOCO

There's being wild, and then there's having a deathwish. A human is unlikely to survive an injection of vodka into a vein. I'm not quite sure how I did.

[InternalFire]

There's being wild, and then there's having a deathwish. A human is unlikely to survive an injection of vodka into a vein. I'm not quite sure how I did.

guessing missed a vein or went trough it... welcome back to life!
Somebody upstairs wanted to give you another chance to make things right, you've been given a new ticket to life, use it right, dont abuse it man.