Seniors And Steroids
When you think of steroids, you probably think of a person with large muscles. While this can happen in people who abuse the drug, steroids can also be beneficial to some. New research shows how steroids could slow the aging process.
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DONALD PEAK IS 77-YEARS OLD.
HE BIKES...
LIFTS WEIGHTS...
SWIMS...
AND HE TAKES ANABOLIC STEROIDS.
Donald Peak
77-Years-Old
"I really wanted to know if it would improve my lifestyle, if I could do more things than I was already doing."
TESTOSTERONE INJECTIONS WERE GIVEN TO OLDER PATIENTS AS PART OF A RESEARCH STUDY.
Randall Urban, M.D.
Endocrinologist
University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, TX
"We're not going to create this race of older people who have rippling muscles. That's not going to happen."
INSTEAD DOCTOR RANDALL URBAN SAYS STEROIDS COULD HELP SENIORS STAY INDEPENDENT LONGER.
Randall Urban, M.D.
"We may be able to create a race of older people who can still live in their homes, who can still take out the trash, who can still walk the dog, who can still have very active lives."
DID DONALD NOTICE A DIFFERENCE ON THE DRUGS?
Donald Peak
"It didn't affect me one way or the other."
ACTUALLY IT DID! DONALD MAY NOT REALIZE IT, BUT HIS BODY DID CHANGE DURING THE SIX-MONTH STUDY.
HIS BODY FAT DROPPED FROM TWENTY-SIX PERCENT TO BELOW NINETEEN. A TEN-POUND INCREASE IN HIS BICEPS... A TWENTY-POUND INCREASE IN HIS LEG MUSCLES.
Randall Urban, M.D.
"It's going to be something that may not be very noticeable to the person right away and it may be something that would have an effect over two or three years."
SO AS DONALD APPROACHES HIS EIGHTIES, HIS BODY IS BETTER PREPARED TO KEEP UP.
DOCTOR URBAN SAYS SEVERAL CONDITIONS NEED TO BE WATCHED IN A PATIENT ON STEROIDS. THESE INCLUDE THEIR RISK FOR PROSTATE CANCER, THEIR BLOOD PRESSURE AND THEIR BLOOD COUNT. WHILE HE SAYS HE HASN'T SEEN ANY MAJOR SIDE EFFECTS IN HIS PATIENTS, HE SAYS ALL PATIENTS ON STEROIDS NEED TO BE FOLLOWED CLOSELY BY A PHYSICIAN.
THE RESEARCH: Randall Urban, M.D., and colleagues from The University of Texas Medical Branch, are conducting research looking at the use of steroids in seniors. The studies look at androgen therapies to see if they can have positive effects on maintaining muscles mass and strength in older individuals. The volunteers are assessed physically and given testosterone injections. Researchers say that as men age their testosterone levels drop. For the study, the men are given enough testosterone to take their levels to what they were when they were 20 years old. The volunteers are tested several times during the six-month study to see if the treatments are affecting the strength of their muscles. Researchers test this by checking the maximum amount of weight the study participant can lift in one repetition. They also look at how the drugs are affecting the volunteers' lean body mass.
Another part of the study looks at how the drugs affect the physiological aspects of the muscle. Researchers examine the actual metabolic rate of the muscle, and how it is breaking down amino acids. They are looking at tissue samples to take their studies to the molecular level, looking at the expression of certain genes within the muscle.
RESULTS: Researchers did not know which patients were receiving testosterone injections or the placebo. However, when you look at the results of the study, it is clear who was on the drug. The men on the steroids had reductions in body fat and increases in their strength compared to no changes in the men on the placebo. Dr. Urban says the goal is not to give seniors "rippling muscles," instead he says the drug could help them continue to live active lives and remain independent longer.
SIDE EFFECTS: Anytime you give someone testosterone, there are several side effects that need to be closely monitored, says Dr. Urban. The men on this drug could be at an increased risk for prostate cancer. Doctors say most prostate cancers are testosterone sensitive. Another concern is edema. People may retain fluid that in turn can make their blood pressure rise. Testosterone can also affect the function of the liver. Finally, this steroid can stimulate the bone marrow to make more red blood cells. This can be a problem for people who already have high levels of red blood cells in their circulation. Dr. Urban says the blood count was the only side effect he saw in the volunteers in the study. But he cautions, "Every physician who considers giving testosterone should follow the patient carefully."
FUTURE STUDIES: The past research at UTMB has only included men, but researches are starting to used anabolic steroids or androgens in older women as well. Dr. Urban says there is great potential for these drugs in older women. The problem is the drugs give women manly side effects such as hair growth. The goal is to find a drug that will give the benefit to the muscle without the side effects.
Randall Urban, M.D.
University of Texas Medical Branch
301 University Blvd.
Galveston, TX 77555-1060
(409) 772-1166
rurban@utmb.edu
www.utmb.edu
Copyright © 2002 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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