Left Ventricular Dyssynchrony in Young Bodybuilders

Is cardiac remodeling associated with an increase in left ventricular dyssynchrony and post-systolic shortening in young bodybuilders using anabolic-androgenic steroids? Guest Host Brady Holmer (University of Florida) interviews lead author Stéphane Nottin (Avignon University) and content expert Austin Robinson (Auburn University) to get the answers. The groundbreaking work by Grandperrin et al. is the first study to investigate the presence of LV dyssynchrony in strength-trained male athletes using anabolic-androgenic steroids. Black-market steroids are illegal in most sports, yet easily available to athletes on the internet. It is well documented in the literature that use of anabolic-androgenic steroids by strength-trained athletes leads to deleterious cardiac hypertrophy with non-reversible myocardial dysfunction. The authors studied three groups: 1) young male bodybuilders who self-reported substantial use of anabolic-androgenic steroids; 2) young male bodybuilders who self-reported to have never used anabolic-androgenic steroids; 3) young untrained control subjects. Nottin and co-authors evaluated regional strains via resting echocardiography, and found that the group of young male bodybuilders who reported substantial steroid use showed increased LV mechanical dispersion, which correlated with increased LV mass and LV post-systolic shortening. Our experts discuss long term cardiovascular risks to anabolic-androgenic steroid users, as well as future directions and unique techniques needed to study female bodybuilders using anabolic-androgenic steroids. This episode is a must-listen for athletes, coaches, and exercise physiologists alike. Listen now.

 

Antoine Grandperrin, Iris Schuster, Thomas Rupp, Omar Izem, Philippe Obert, and Stéphane Nottin Left ventricular dyssynchrony and post-systolic shortening in young bodybuilders using anabolic-androgenic steroids Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published August 25, 2021. DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00136.2021