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The effects of anabolic steroids and strength training on the human immune response
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1989
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Laboratory ImmunologyImmunologyImmune RegulationImmunologic MechanismStrength TrainingImmunotherapyInflammationKinesiologyExerciseApplied PhysiologyImmune ResponsivenessImmune MediatorSteroid MetabolismHealth SciencesAutoimmune DiseaseAutoimmunityHuman Immune ResponseImmune FunctionNatural KillerPharmacologyExercise ScienceAnabolic SteroidsExercise PhysiologyB-cell MitogenMedicine
The study assessed immune cell subsets, lymphocyte proliferation, immunoglobulins, and NK activity in 13 anabolic‑steroid‑using bodybuilders and 10 non‑using controls. The study found that anabolic‑steroid users showed increased NK activity, enhanced B‑cell proliferation to SAC, lower IgA levels, and a higher prevalence of antinuclear antibodies, while T‑cell subsets were unchanged, indicating steroids modulate immune responsiveness and autoantibody prevalence is common among strength‑trained men.
The immune response was assessed in 13 competitive bodybuilders self-administering anabolic-androgenic steroids and ten competitive bodybuilders not administering these drugs. Laboratory assessment included the number and relative distribution of T-cells, T-helper/inducer cells, T-cytotoxic/suppressor cells, activated T-cells, lymphocyte transformation to the mitogens, pokeweed mitogen (PWM), phytohemagglutinin (PHA), Concanavalin-A (CON-A), Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain I (SAC), serum immunoglobulins, and natural killer (NK) activity. There were no significant differences in T-cell subsets among steroid users and non-users, but lymphocyte transformation studies revealed that the anabolic-androgenic steroid-using group had enhanced proliferative ability to the B-cell mitogen, SAC, in comparison to non-bodybuilding controls. NK activity was significantly (P less than 0.05) augmented in the anabolic-androgenic steroid users but not in the non-using bodybuilders. Serum immunoglobulin levels, in particular IgA, were significantly (P less than 0.017) lower in the steroid-using group. Four of 13 steroid users and three of eight non-steroid-using bodybuilders had detectable antinuclear antibodies. These studies indicate that 1) anabolic-androgenic steroid use as practiced by contemporary athletes is a potent modulator of immune responsiveness and 2) autoantibodies are prevalent in strength-trained men even in the absence of anabolic steroid use.