Muscle Diet

Q. Do you think the side effects in the media for steroids are under reported or over reported?

A. I’ve worked for two of the world’s biggest pharma companies and acted as an expert witness on steroids and supplements to the police and the courts over here in England, so I have to know all aspects of the science and the politics around steroids.

The answer is that it all depends upon “which media”. The mainstream media virtually always exaggerate the side effects of steroids. They talk about cancer, roid rage and even suggest that murderers have committed their crimes as a result of taking steroids – mostly nonsense! The reasons are obvious, if they report that steroids aren’t that dangerous after all, it isn’t a very attractive news story (there’s no carnage and heartache) and they would also be branded irresponsible and be accused of supporting steroid use ( in the US, that’s like promoting crack)!

On the other hand, if you read some bodybuilding magazines and websites, steroids are treated as no more dangerous than a glass of milk. After all, anyone who’s been around our industry knows that the only obvious short-term consequences of steroids are acne, gyno and hair loss (in susceptible people).

However, as with most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Steroids won’t kill you quickly but they do lower HDL cholesterol levels (good cholesterol) significantly and they increase blood pressure, so using too much too often can almost certainly increase the odds of heart, vascular and kidney disease. It seems to me the rates of both of these conditions, along with dying young, are higher than they should be in bodybuilders who should be protected by their generally healthy diets, exercise and avoidance of smoking and drinking.

So really, the guys who think steroids are totally safe are almost as ignorant as those who think that they’re unusually harmful drugs!

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