Anabolic Steroids and the Prostate
Where did this misconception come from? It originated in the 1940s. At that time, people knew laughably little about malignant tumors and even less about testosterone. However, one doctor came up with the idea of castrating a patient with prostate cancer.
And lo and behold! – he lived longer than his unfortunate peers. Interestingly, repeating this experiment never yielded the same result, but the idea firmly took hold in the minds of doctors: less testosterone is better for the prostate.
Two decades later, scientists began actively researching anabolic steroids. They developed a test to determine their androgenic and anabolic activity.
It consisted (and still consists) of the following: laboratory rodents are administered the same drug over a period of time, and then the weight changes of the prostate and the muscle next to the prostate – levator ani – are compared.
The more the prostate gains weight, the higher the androgenic activity. Aha, so there's the scientific basis! Now it’s clear that any anabolic steroid with androgenic activity will promote prostate hypertrophy.
We know that the androgenic activity of testosterone is quite high and equal to its anabolic activity. And its derivative – dihydrotestosterone (DHT) – has even higher androgenic activity.
And for many, many years, testosterone and DHT were considered the main enemies of the prostate. Fortunately, research from the last decade has made responsible scientists change their opinion.
Hormone Replacement Therapy and Prostate Cancer
In 2016, at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association, guests from Sweden presented the following data: in men who underwent testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for a year, the risk of developing prostate cancer decreased by 50 percent.
Once again: testosterone, administered externally, reduced the risk of developing prostate cancer.
And another study. Researchers from the UK observed 1400 men undergoing TRT for 20 years. Over this time, only fourteen developed prostate cancer. That is, the likelihood of developing cancer among the observed patients was ten (!) times lower than the national average.
Finally, here are the words of Dr. Malcolm Carruthers, medical director of the London Centre for Men's Health: “The myth that TRT leads to the development of prostate cancer has been firmly rooted in the medical community for the past 60 years. In fact, testosterone is beneficial for the prostate, not harmful.”
Over the past 5-6 years, everything has turned upside down: it turned out that a lack of testosterone increases the risk of developing prostate cancer, not its excess. And to be completely honest, it’s not just a lack of testosterone, but something else. Be patient: we’re about to discuss this.
The Role of DHT and Estradiol
By the way: I've been talking about prostate cancer all this time, but the same applies to adenoma – also a tumor, but benign. Anyway, we’ve dealt with tumors, and it’s time to move on to a new topic. Namely, prostate hypertrophy.
Let's start from the beginning: at birth, a boy’s prostate is no bigger than a wheat grain. The gland starts to grow with the onset of puberty and by the age of twenty-one (approximately) reaches its normal size.
After that, its growth stops: the size of the prostate – unless affected by inflammatory processes – remains unchanged until you turn 40. Then growth resumes... Any associations coming to mind?
The growth of the prostate resumes approximately when testosterone levels gradually begin to decline, and estradiol levels start to rise.
The latter is even more important: recent studies suggest that it is the increased estradiol levels that are responsible for prostate hypertrophy and tumor development – the very factor I mentioned at the end of the last paragraph.
From estradiol, let’s smoothly transition to dihydrotestosterone. Previously, men with prostate hypertrophy were prescribed 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors. These didn't help much but added a sharp decrease in libido to the existing problems.
The same past 5-6 years have significantly changed the attitude of doctors towards DHT. It turned out that even huge amounts of this hormone, administered externally over a long period, do not lead to prostate enlargement at all.
If you don't believe it, look here: Dihydrotestosterone Administration Does Not Increase Intraprostatic Androgen Concentrations or Alter Prostate Androgen Action in Healthy Men: A Randomized-Controlled Trial
Moreover: DHT can stop the onset of prostate hypertrophy. This is not surprising, considering its anti-estrogen properties. As a result, gels containing dihydrotestosterone are now increasingly used in the treatment of prostate problems.
So What Should Be Done?
First, understand that testosterone replacement therapy is your insurance against prostate cancer. Yes, it won't work 100 percent, but it will reduce the risk of developing a malignant tumor.
Second, remember that typical TRT testosterone dosages are limited to 100-200 milligrams per week. However, here’s the thing: none of the professional bodybuilders, who, I remind you, are not shy about using “anabolics” in significant doses, have been observed to have prostate problems.
But still, do not get too carried away, and if you want to use something like a gram or even more anabolic steroids per week, limit the duration of your “course” to six weeks. Or use a strategy like “short courses”.
Third, do not fear DHT and its direct analogs (mesterolone and drostanolone). They will not only not harm you but can even help. Yes, I understand that it was previously believed to be the opposite, but the new data made me change my attitude towards DHT. Finally, just monitor the ratio of total testosterone and estradiol levels.
Also, eat prostate-healthy foods: tomatoes – they contain lycopene, broccoli – this vegetable contains sulforaphane, and carrots – as it turns out, just 10 grams of this vegetable daily can reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer by five percent.
Drink pomegranate juice and green tea. By the way, the same lycopene and sulforaphane can also be taken as supplements – they are not hard to find for sale. And if you add pycnogenol along with curcumin to these two – that would be great!
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And so - an excellent drug: it provides invaluable assistance in getting rid of excess fat - including visceral fat, normalizes cholesterol levels in the blood, has noticeable androgenic activity, which manifests itself exactly where it is needed