gms | German Medical Science

7th EFSMA – European Congress of Sports Medicine, 3rd Central European Congress of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Annual Assembly of the German and the Austrian Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Austrian Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

26.-29.10.2011, Salzburg, Österreich

The probable effects of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) consumption on the skin microflora of bodybuilders

Meeting Abstract

  • author Kamiar Zomorodian - Center of Basic Researches in Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
  • corresponding author presenting/speaker Mohammad Javad Rahimi - Center of Basic Researches in Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
  • author Ali Ghanbari Asad - Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
  • author Soghra Khani - Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
  • author Mohammad Taheri - Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

7th EFSMA – European Congress of Sports Medicine, 3rd Central European Congress of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Salzburg, 26.-29.10.2011. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2011. Doc11esm093

doi: 10.3205/11esm093, urn:nbn:de:0183-11esm0938

Veröffentlicht: 24. Oktober 2011

© 2011 Zomorodian et al.
Dieser Artikel ist ein Open Access-Artikel und steht unter den Creative Commons Lizenzbedingungen (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.de). Er darf vervielfältigt, verbreitet und öffentlich zugänglich gemacht werden, vorausgesetzt dass Autor und Quelle genannt werden.


Gliederung

Text

Objective: Abuse of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) has reached alarming dimensions by members of fitness centers and others. AAS are drugs which mimic the effects of the male sex hormones testosterone. They increase protein synthesis in cellular tissues, which results in the buildup of cellular generations, especially in muscles, and in return can increase strength and bodyweight in the athletes. Previous studies supported the association between cardiovascular, liver, reproductive, and dermatologic disorders and using of AAS. Moreover, it has been shown that AAS increase activation of sebaceous glands and consequently cholesterol and free fatty acids of skin surface lipids. So the number and type of lipophylic bacterial skin flora such as propionibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus aureus might be influenced by using of these substances. Although it has been shown that these mentioned bacteria are resistant to antimicrobial activities of the fatty acids in sebaceous glands and may cause dermatological disease such as acne, folliculitis, and sebaceous cysts, their role in cutaneous lesions of AAS users is not clearly understood. To address this question, the effects of these supplements on the bacterial flora of the AAS users were investigated among the male bodybuilders.

Material/Methods: The ninety four male bodybuilder (71 AAS users, 23 non AAS users) and 34 sex and age matched students as control group were studied. The average and median ages of the bodybuilders were 24.7 and 24 years, respectively. All the participants completed a questionnaire including bathing habits, using AAS and others supplement, usage of antimicrobial drugs for at least four weeks, and general medical conditions. The skin of the examinee was check for the presence of the lesions. Specimens were obtained from skin surface by swabbing 1 cm2 of back and chest areas by two wet swabs. All samples were cultured Tryptone Soy Agar supplemented with 5% Sheep blood in 37ºC in anaerobic condition for isolation of P. acnes and in aerobic condition for S. aureus. The isolated bacteria identified by using standard microbiology techniques.

Results: Higher prevalence of the skin lesions was observed in the bodybuilders in compared with the control group and this difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Moreover significant differences were also observed in skin lesions among the AAS users and the non-AAS user builders (P<0.05). The prevalence of S. aureus and P. acnes in the athletics were higher than control groups. In addition, a significant difference in distribution of P. acnes was found between body builders that used AAS and those did not (p-value<0.001). While no significant variation was found in prevalence of aerobic bacteria between AAS users and the rest of athletics.

Conclusion: Taken together, the higher numbers of the bacterial flora that found in the bodybuilders in particular those using AAS in comparison to the controls might be due to the influence of these AAS on the skin microflora and transmission of the bacteria through the direct contact of the naked skin with exercise instruments.


References

1.
Kiraly CL, Alen M, Rahkila P, Horsmanheimo M. Effect of androgenic and anabolic steroids on the sebaceous gland in power athletes. Acta Derm Venereol. 1987;67(1):36-40.
2.
Hartgens F, Kuipers H. Effects of androgenic-anabolic steroids in athletes. Sports Med. 2004;34(8):513-54.
3.
Kohler T, Weidenmaier C, Peschel A. Wall teichoic acid protects Staphylococcus aureus against antimicrobial fatty acids from human skin. J Bacteriol. 2009;191:4489-4