March 1, 1999
Volume 2, Number 5
Research Update
by Bryan Haycock MSc., CSCS
bryan@thinkmuscle.com
Please send us your feedback
on this article.
As we approach the new millennium we find the science of building
muscle progressing faster than ever before. Long gone are the days of
simple trial and error when it comes to building muscle. The modern
bodybuilder demands more than just "hear say" if they are to
adopt a new training routine or nutritional supplement. This column was
created to keep today’s bodybuilder on the cutting edge of scientific
research that might benefit them in their quest for body perfection.
Scientists hit another road block in their attempts to detect GH use
by athletes.
Title:
Growth hormone induced increase in serum IGFBP-3 level is reversed by
anabolic steroids in substance abusing power athletes.
Researchers:
Karila T, Koistinen H, Seppala M, Koistinen R, Seppala T
National Public Health Institute, Laboratory of Pharmacology and
Toxicology,
Helsinki, Finland.
Source:
Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 1998 Oct;49(4):459-63
Summary:
OBJECTIVE: Body builders may use growth hormone (GH) and anabolic
steroids to increase muscle mass. GH increases serum concentrations of
IGF-I and IGFBP-3. The combined effects of GH and anabolic androgenic
steroids on IGFBP-3 and IGF-I levels are not known under authentic
substance-abusing conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate
this in substance-abusing power athletes.
DESIGN AND PATIENTS: Nine healthy, non-obese and non-competing male
power athletes, all aggressive substance abusers, used GH and/or
anabolic steroids independently of this study. Blood samples were taken
both during and between the drug intake. Sixteen substance non-abusing
wrestlers served as controls. MEASUREMENTS: Serum IGF-I concentration
was measured by radioimmunoassay and the IGFBP-3 concentration was
measured by two immunofluorometric assays, one detecting proteolytic
fragments of IGFBP-3. The capacity of serum to proteolytically cleave
IGFBP-3 was studied by the proteolysis assay.
RESULTS: While growth hormone increased the IGFBP-3 and IGF-I
concentrations, anabolic steroids decreased the same. Concomitant use of
growth hormone and anabolic steroids decreased the IGFBP-3 concentration
in five out of six abuse periods in spite of the fact that the IGF-I
concentration remained elevated in four of them. However, in two men who
were on low calorie diet both the IGF-I and IGFBP-3 concentrations
decreased during combined GH/anabolic steroid abuse. No proteolytic
fragmentation of IGFBP-3 was observed.
CONCLUSION: Massive abuse of anabolic steroids (no pun intended)
decreases both the basal and GH-stimulated IGFBP-3 concentrations,
whereas its effects on serum IGF-I concentration are variable and
affected by low calorie diet. This study demonstrates that detection of
GH doping by measuring the IGF-I and/or IGFBP-3 levels has notable
confounding factors.
Discussion:
Aside from the simple desire to understand the effects of combining
GH and anabolic steroids, these researchers were evaluating the
possibility of testing for GH use in athletes by looking at their
Insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP-3 specifically)
levels. Because GH is released in pulsatile fashion with an extremely
short serum half-life, it is almost impossible to determine if tested
levels represent exogenous injections or normal circadian fluctuations.
GH concentrations are also significantly effected by dietary intake,
making detection even more difficult. It is well known that GH
administration significantly increases serum Insulin-like growth factors
and their binding proteins. For this reason these researchers were
testing the hypothesis that elicit GH use could be detected by measuring
IGFBPs’ and specifically IGFBP-3.
To the researchers dismay, it was found in this study that
concomitant use of anabolic steroids reversed the GH induced increase in
IGFBP-3 even while IGF-1 was increase significantly. Because it is
common to use both drugs together, this puts in serious question testing
for IGFBP-3 to detect GH use among athletes.
Some of the subjects in this study were taking as much as 200 mg of
steroids per day in addition to 4 IU per day of GH. This is well
into the "heavy drug user" category even by todays standards.
This is good in that it may accurately reflect what many guys are doing
in real life.
When anabolics were taken along with GH, IGF-1 levels rose in all
cases but two. The two cases in question were also on low calorie diets.
This poses an additional obstacle to testing for GH by measuring IGF-1
or its binding proteins. On the positive side, it also presents us with
further information about why using anabolics is less effective when on
a low calorie diet even in the presents of adequate protein intake. Even
when adding GH to the mix, the decrease in IGF-1 levels may
significantly attenuate the accrual of lean mass.
Scientists will continue to search for more effective ways of testing
athletes for drug use. As a result of their work, we are constantly
uncovering new mechanisms and pathways by which these anabolic
substances work in our bodies and how they interact with our training
and diet. With understanding comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes power.
The power to realize our aspirations. To some this means beating the
system, to others it means building a better mouse trap!
Figuring out how creatine works it’s magic
Title:
Phosphocreatine resynthesis is not effected by creatine loading.
Researchers:
Vandenberghe K, Van Hecke P, Van Leemputte M, Vanstaple F, Hespel P.
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Source:
Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., 31(2) 236-242, 1999
Summary:
The effect of creatine loading (25 grams/day for 5 days) on muscle
phosphocreatine (PCr) breakdown and resynthesis and muscle performance
during high intensity intermittent muscle contractions was investigated.
A double blind cross over study was performed in young healthy male
subjects. P-NMR spectroscopy of the gastrocnemius and isokinetic
dynamometry of knee extension torque were performed before and after 2
and 5 days of either placebo or creatine supplementaiton.
Compared with placebo, 2 and 5 days of creatine increased resting
muscle phosphoscreatine concentration by 11% and 16% respectively.
Furthermore, torque production during maximal intermittent knee
extensions, including the first bout of contractions, was increased by
5-13% by either 2 - 5 days of creatine supplementation. However, the
rate of PCr breakdown and resynthesis was not significantly different
from placebo during isometric contractions.
Discussion:
Creatine supplementation increases intracellular phosphocreatine
(PCr) concentrations by up 20% above baseline. It has been speculated
that this increase in PCr allows the muscle cell to resynthesis ATP from
ADP and PCr more rapidly by increasing the resynthesis of PCr. This and
a few previous studies indicate that this may not be true.
Over the last several years much research has been performed
detailing the ergogenic effect of creatine loading. I’m sure many of
you reading this can attest to the effects of creatine. Most of these
studies showed beneficial effects of creatine loading on the performance
of high intensity intermittent exercise. From this the hypothesis
about creatine aiding PCr regeneration was formed.
In this study it was shown that creatine supplementation did not lead
to an increase in PCr resynthesis. Although there was not an increase in
PCr resynthesis, creatine loading did show ergogenic effects by
increasing peak torque and anaerobic power. In fact, it only took 2 days
of loading to increase peak torque and an additional 3 days of loading
did not further enhance torque production. This indicates that 2 days of
loading may be all that’s necessary to see an ergogenic effect.
Studies showing the greatest increase in PCr over baseline have also
shown the greatest improvements in performance. This study also
demonstrated this. Several studies have shown only minor increases in
PCr resynthesis with creatine loading even with substantial increases in
PCr levels over baseline.
So the question remains, "How does creatine loading increase
performance?" These researchers speculate an interesting
hypothesis. In their laboratory they have shown that creatine loading
shortens the relaxation time for muscle fibers. You may wonder how this
could possibly improve high intensity muscle output. Well, under
sprinting conditions, muscle spindles act to modulate muscle contraction
in a reflex manner. Because of this, rapid contraction of one muscle
group, like your quads, causes a reflex contraction of your hamstrings.
You end up with very rapid contraction-relaxation cycles of muscle
activation. If sufficient ATP is not available, residual cross bridge
attachments remain coupled until more ATP is available allowing the
myosin heads to disassociate from the actin filaments. This creates
resistance against the pull of your quads making their contraction less
forceful. It also leads to greater and more rapid fatigue of both muscle
groups. By increasing the muscles ability to relax in between
contractions, you reduce the resistance placed on the agonist’s
contraction as well as reducing the involuntary eccentric contractions
of the antagonist muscle group.
Doing research on creatine is extremely popular now days. It is
difficult to find a university where some grad student, in either
nutrition of exercise physiology, is not doing their thesis on creatine.
It is only a matter of time before we have creatine pretty much figured
out. Until then, at least we know it works and there is no reason not to
take advantage of that, even if we don’t know how it works.
A word of caution...
Title:
Abscess related to anabolic-androgen steroid injection.
Researchers:
Rich JD, Dickinson BP, Flanigan TP, Valone SE.
The Miriam Hospital, Brown University, Providence RI, & Boulder
County Hospital, Boulder CO.
Source:
Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 31(2) 207-209, 1999
Summary:
A case report is presented of a 26 year old anabolic steroid user who
did not use sterile injection techniques and wound up with an
injection-related thigh abscess. This individual reported sharing
multidosage vials with two other weightlifting colleagues who also
developed infections. It took approximately 3-4 months and a trip to the
emergency room to control the infection and begin healing.
Discussion:
I do not usually focus on case reports in this column. I wanted to
make an exception in this instance because I felt it was important to
draw readers attention to one of the risks involved with using
injectable steroids.
Two factors put American bodybuilders and strength athletes at risk
of injection-related infections. One, strict government policies
established in the 1980's regarding the legal consequences of using
and/or possessing anabolic/androgenic steroids has greatly curtailed
their availability through medical channels. Two, many novice steroid
users are unfamiliar with the risks involved in improper injection
methods as well as the risks involved with sharing needles and/or vials.
Physicians have been put under tremendous pressure not to prescribe
steroids to individuals for purposes of physical enhancement, thus
diminishing the availability of steroids through proper channels.
American pharmaceutical companies have also greatly decreased production
of anabolic/androgenic steroids. It just isn’t financially practical
if physicians can no longer prescribe them to a broader market. This has
lead to a boom in black market products, most of which are of
questionable quality and are often produced under unsterile
manufacturing conditions. Most bodybuilders do not have the means or
education necessary to recognize counterfeits or have all of their drugs
tested in a laboratory for purity. As a result, people are gambling with
their health by using steroids they procure from black market sources.
Sometimes the product is fairly pure and the user experiences the
expected results. Then again, how often do you hear about a bodybuilder
doing a cycle and experiencing none of the expected gains? Usually the
guy feels too foolish to tell everybody, "Hey everybody, look at
what a fool I am. I just spent a ton of money on steroids, bought them
from someone I didn’t know personally, and they turned out to be fake!
In fact, I have no idea what I just injected into my body over the last
several weeks!" This is not the kind of thing an aspiring young
bodybuilder brags about.
Sometimes the mysterious oil in the bottle is innocuous, sometimes it
contains infectious agents such as rare bacteria and toxic chemicals.
There are several reports in the literature of bodybuilders getting
abscess’ from "atypical bacteria". Atypical bacteria are
ubiquitous in the environment, are able to survive for prolonged periods
without nutrients, such as in a vial of steroids, and are very capable
of causing difficult to treat infections at the site of injection.
If you surf the bodybuilding message boards you will undoubtedly find
numerous questions from novice drug users. The anonymous writer usually
wants to know, "how much should I take?", "When will I
start seeing gains?", or "what should I combine with
it?". It is not very often that someone asks, "how do I avoid
infecting myself with my own skin flora?" or "what should I
tell my physician to test for when this thing gets infected?". All
to often the excitement of having that precious little bottle of dreams
in their hands makes them throw caution to the wind.
There is also the matter of secrecy. I often get the sense that some
bodybuilders get a sort of juvenile titillation from just talking about
steroids and just can’t keep the secret to themselves. When they just
can’t stand the excitement of being so sneaky anymore and begin to
talk about using them, they seldom ask intelligent questions. Those who
are more mature yet equally uninformed face another dilemma, how do you
ask questions relating to self administering injectable drugs without
incurring other’s curiosity as to why you would want to know....
"Well,...I have this friend who...", anyway, you get the
picture.
Then there are the experienced users who simply get careless. It is
this population that is perhaps more at risk simply because of the
greater volume of drugs they use throughout their bodybuilding career.
You will not usually get wind of a well known bodybuilder suffering from
injection related infections. It’s not that they don’t happen, it’s
simply that you don’t hear about them. Drug paraphernalia and
prescription laws in many states, which are intended to curtail illicit
drug use, decrease access to sterile injection equipment even for
experienced users. Many times when darts and vials are scarce, they are
shared. This greatly increases the risk of contracting blood born
pathogens such as HIV, hepatitis C and hepatitis B. There are documented
cases of each of these diseases being contracted after injecting
steroids.
A word of caution is all I offer. There are proper ways of
administering injectable drugs that reduce the risk of infection. There
are also life saving precautions that must be taken by bodybuilders
using steroids such as not sharing needles and not sharing multi-dose
vials. If you are willing to put in the effort and pay the price to get
illegal injectable steroids, at least take the time to educate yourself
about the proper way to administer them as well as the risks involved
with their use.
by Bryan Haycock MSc., CSCS
bryan@thinkmuscle.com
Please send us your feedback
on this article.
