Steroids & Kidney Disease, new article

[Jsherbro]

Thought this would spark some interesting blogging.

Steroids and Kidney Damage?: Bodybuilding Secrets to Build Muscle, by Tom Venuto

 

[citystreets]

lol at no one posting in here

 

[Thinker]

I'll bite. First up the article acknowledges that this is a case study as opposed to genuine research. True it is published is a peer reviewed journal but anyone involved in science that reads journals on a regular basis knows that inaccuracies do creep in. Further as this is a case study it is more akin to an 'opinion' (based on existing science granted) than repeatable research. The situation described can not be recreated in another lab by different doctors / scientists to see if the results correlate. It acknowledges that steroid (AND other drugs) were used over periods of up to ten years. I doubt that the individuals involved were able to provide accurate and detailed information about all drug use etc. over that period. Thus a large number of variables are unknown to the researches. Including it would appear diuretics usage and my opinion is that the sources of the drugs can not all be vouched for nor can quality in all cases. Given that the 10 individuals involved could not have possibly have used all the varying types of anabolic steroids available using a title so broad as to end with ‘Anabolic Steroid Abuse’ is also disappointing, all the researchers can comment on is the abuse of the steroids the ‘cohort’ of bodybuilders used. I’m not having a go at the researchers (although they could have done better) but pointing out to anyone that wants to backup or build an argument or point of view based on this ‘evidence’ that they need to try harder. Especially when drugs such as Crestor (cholesterol reducer) can damage your kidneys as well. To the researchers credit they do label the usage demonstrated by the bodybuilders in question as ‘abuse’. The other thing to keep in mind with studies such as this is who are these researchers? Do they have 20+ years of research under their belts? Or are they fresh out of university, eager to make a name for themselves or finish their thesis? Balance what is in this article with the many many other articles and studies completed in the last 50 years on anabolics substances.