Steroids, unhealthy shortcut to fitness

When Rajat, a 20-year-old college student, decided to hit the gym, he was enamoured by the desire to sport a macho physique like his friends who had been working out for the last three years. He was told he could, if he took to anabolic steroids that are high on testosterone — the male hormone — which in the long run hampers the body’s inherent capability to secrete the hormone. 

Rajat is among those countless young adults who have opted for the unsafe alternative to beef up their bodies, which Dr R Sundararaman, Head of Department, Internal Medicine, SIMS Hospital, Vadapalani, says can damage the kidney and the muscle. He says, “The craze to look macho has made many land in the net of performance-enhancing steroids and high-protein diet. It is a myth that they do any good to your body. 

Most of them take these anabolic steroids along with diuretics to weigh less. The most common problem is that the body’s natural capacity to produce testosterone gets hampered. As a result, the person working hard on his physique to look masculine ends up feeling miserable, after his sexual health is affected.” Dr Sundararaman adds that in rare cases, it can compound to a problem called rhabdomyolysis (dissolution of skeletal muscle). 

Excess of anabolics also lead to frontal balding among men, points out Dr Jayashree Gopal, Senior Consultant, Endocrinologist Diabetologist, Apollo Hospital. She adds, “Not many understand while the muscle increases, the user doesn’t get strong.” From the dietary angle, pumping up with steroids comes with a sudden surge in protein intake. Dr Dharini Krishnan, Consultant Dietician, says, “In India, we always consume less protein — just 10-20 grams as against the necessary 40 grams. 

Those working out suddenly take in close to 80 grams, with almost 10 eggs a day. The kidney is not used to it. Then they give it all up immediately after three months leading to a risk of obesity. Increasing or decreasing supplements should be a gradual process.” 

The link between steroids and depression is well known, points out Dr Mini Rao, a city-based psychologist. “Take the example of wrestler Chris Benoit, whose was a classic case of steroid abuse. 

There are numerous studies that have established a relation between steroids and depression,” she says. When Alkhas Joseph, a celebrity trainer who has trained the likes of actors Suriya, Vikram and Dhanush, asks youngsters to avoid anabolics, he is actually talking out of experience. “You end up packing up your body and working out in a short span of time, when you actually have to spread the energy over many years. 

If you moderate your diet, workout regimen and lifestyle, you can have a healthy body. It may not be as fascinating as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s physique, but even Arnie would tell you how wasteful pumping up with steroids has been. One shouldn’t blindly follow fads looking at celebrities. It is not worth it,” says Alkhas.