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The Cardiac Effects of Performance-Enhancing Medications: Caffeine vs. Anabolic Androgenic Steroids.

Sivalokanathan, S; Małek, ŁA; Malhotra, A (2021) The Cardiac Effects of Performance-Enhancing Medications: Caffeine vs. Anabolic Androgenic Steroids. Diagnostics (Basel), 11 (2). p. 324. ISSN 2075-4418 https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics11020324
SGUL Authors: Malhotra, Aneil

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Abstract

Several performance-enhancing or ergogenic drugs have been linked to both significant adverse cardiovascular effects and increased cardiovascular risk. Even with increased scrutiny on the governance of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in professional sport and heightened awareness of the associated cardiovascular risk, there are some who are prepared to risk their use to gain competitive advantage. Caffeine is the most commonly consumed drug in the world and its ergogenic properties have been reported for decades. Thus, the removal of caffeine from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of banned substances, in 2004, has naturally led to an exponential rise in its use amongst athletes. The response to caffeine is complex and influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Whilst the evidence may be equivocal, the ability of an athlete to train longer or at a greater power output cannot be overlooked. Furthermore, its impact on the myocardium remains unanswered. In contrast, anabolic androgenic steroids are recognised PEDs that improve athletic performance, increase muscle growth and suppress fatigue. Their use, however, comes at a cost, afflicting the individual with several side effects, including those that are detrimental to the cardiovascular system. This review addresses the effects of the two commonest PEDs, one legal, the other prohibited, and their respective effects on the heart, as well as the challenge in defining its long-term implications.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: anabolic androgenic steroids, athlete, caffeine, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, heart disease, sports cardiology, sports cardiology, athlete, caffeine, anabolic androgenic steroids, heart disease, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
SGUL Research Institute / Research Centre: Academic Structure > Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute (MCS)
Journal or Publication Title: Diagnostics (Basel)
ISSN: 2075-4418
Language: eng
Dates:
DateEvent
17 February 2021Published
15 February 2021Accepted
Publisher License: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
PubMed ID: 33671206
Web of Science ID: WOS:000622468800001
Go to PubMed abstract
URI: https://openaccess.sgul.ac.uk/id/eprint/113052
Publisher's version: https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics11020324

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