Study: Anabolic steroids may help seniors

June 14, 2006

An Australian study suggests anabolic steroids, best known for doping in sports, may help older people recover after joint replacement surgery.

Queensland University Associate Professor Erik Hohmann hopes to expand the initial pilot study -- the world's first such research -- after finding benefits for recuperating patients, although only low doses of the drug were used to avoid side effects.

Benefits identified already include better muscle strength, mobility and bone mineral density.

Hohmann notes joint replacement is an increasingly common operation for senior citizens and is the main treatment for end-stage osteoarthritis.

"It seems we can build muscle and bone density faster and this helps the patients mobilize faster, which in turn improves their general overall health," he said.

Hohmann is director of the university's Musculoskeletal Research Unit.