Warning for men: serious health consequences of testosterone supplements

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Some people want to gain a sculpted, athletic body in a record period, which prompts them to try synthetic steroids, or testosterone supplements.

But, while synthetic testosterone may improve your appearance in the short term, its long-term consequences on your health should not be ignored.

Testosterone is known as an anabolic hormone that plays a functional role in all our organs. Both men and women produce testosterone, although men's bodies contain about 15 times more circulating testosterone than women's.

Its role is not only limited to sexual development and puberty, but it also helps build lean muscle mass and control bone growth, which improves strength, athletic endurance, and cardiovascular fitness.

There are many factors that may increase testosterone production naturally, including exercise, stress, and sex, but using synthetic testosterone supplements to boost testosterone levels, especially in amounts beyond those produced by the body, will have many effects on health.

Health experts revealed that testosterone supplements may initially increase sex drive and help the body build more muscle mass over several months.

It may cause minor side effects, including acne, male pattern baldness, and breast enlargement in men, and menopause and increased body hair in women. However, these effects cannot be compared with the serious consequences of taking frequent supplements in the long term.

Experts explained that taking stimulant supplements may cause a change in heart activity, leading to its enlargement, high blood pressure, and decreased arterial elasticity, thus increasing the risk of sudden death.

Liver and kidney damage also occurs frequently in people who use steroids long-term.

Testosterone may also cause psychological effects, including increased aggression, depression, and anxiety.

Testosterone supplements stop the natural stimulation of this hormone in the brain, leading to hypogonadism, where the tissues that naturally produce testosterone shrink. This leads to a decrease in sperm count and testicle size.

The report was prepared by Colin Michie, Vice-Chancellor of the School of Medicine at the University of Central Lancashire.