PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS of Steroid-Using Bodybuilders

How many times have you read about the protein requirements of athletes and nonathletes? Those who've been lifting for any length of time probably don't have enough fingers to count.

- Lonnie Lowery

Let us ask another question. How many bodybuilders do you think to use anabolic steroids? Again, unless you're a newcomer to the sport, you know the number is quite high.

It's generally known that anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) increase one's protein and energy (kilocalorie) needs, but by how much? This is certainly something you've pondered if you're "geared up." But, have you ever seen quantitative information on this issue? Most likely, you haven't. Western researchers, for the most part, find it taboo to investigate the nutrition needs of healthy men using anabolics. Even the use of steroids in clinical settings is typically off-limits because of social and political pressures. Luckily, there are progressive scientists like Thomas Ziegler and Shalender Bhasin, who see the therapeutic potential of anabolic steroids and continue to research them. Still, protein requirement information for steroid users hasn't been made available. And with all the talk about increasing the “risk-to-benefit ratio," how are bodybuilders supposed to stack the deck in their favor without such information?

There is, however, some data to be found. Much of it comes from the '50s, '60s, and '70s - eras in which steroid use was yet to become looked down upon. And remember, just because the data is old doesn't mean it's worthless. Data from early studies may not have come from the sophisticated instrumentation used today, but the measurements and study designs were often rather elegant. And there is another way to gain valuable information from the scientific literature - by looking at placebo groups.