Back within the 80s and 90s, Austrian-born pro bodybuilder Andreas Munzer, was a quite a rage, for his ultra-shredded physique, and paper-thin skin texture.
On March 12, 1996, Munzer complained of severe stomach pain, and was admitted to the hospital. He was bleeding from the stomach and was immediately set for surgery. His liver & kidney had already failed.
However, the doctors couldn’t save him. On the morning of March 14, 1996, he died, with the official autopsy giving the reason behind death as dystrophic multiple organ failure. He was just 31.
However, the actual reports of his autopsy shocked the bodybuilding world, and showed the actual dangers which plagued the game. The reports showed that Munzer had quite a few table-tennis-ball-size tumours within the liver and a heart that had grown to weigh an abnormal 636 grams, well above the standard 300 grams.
His liver weighed 2.9 kilograms, almost a kilo heavier than a traditional male’s liver weighing in at 2 kilograms. The Bile ducts within the liver had stopped functioning.
His kidneys were swollen to large size, and the testes were virtually shrivelled. His electrolytes were also out of balance, and his potassium levels were extremely high. Traces of about 20 different drugs were found, together with acute toxicity (perhaps brought on by a stimulant).
He is just not alone. There is an inventory of top pro bodybuilders who had an premature and tragic end:
- Mike Matarazzo (died at age 48) – had an open heart surgery in 2004, followed by an heart attack 3 years later in 2007. Finally, He died on August 16, 2014, in a hospital while waiting for a heart transplant.
- Dallas McCarver (died at age 26) – On August 22, 2017, Dallas was found on the ground at home with food scattered around him. He was pronounced dead at 1:03 am. Enlarged liver and kidneys, nephrosclerosis (a hardened kidney), heavy lungs, and a papillary thyroid carcinoma were noted in autopsy.
- Nasser El Sonbaty (died at age 47) – in sleep resulting from kidney & heart failure.
- Greg Kovacs (died at age 44) – resulting from heart failure.
- Mohammed Benaziza (died at age 33) – was found dead in his hotel room on October 4, 1992, shortly after that competition. He died of heart failure brought on by excessive consumption of diuretic products.
- Rich Piana (died at age 46) – in 2017, Rich suffered a heart attack, fell to the bottom and hit his head. With the shortage of oxygen going to his brain, the doctors put Rich on a medically induced coma. But in per week, his respiratory began to deteriorate and he was put back on the ventilator, until he passed away. Rich Piana’s autopsy revealed, an enlarged heart (and “significant heart disease”), fatty liver, congested thyroid, discoloured kidneys etc.
Acc. to a studyin 2021 alone, over two dozen skilled competitive bodybuilders died suddenly, together with plenty of retired bodybuilders under the age of 60 years.
The use of anabolic-androgenic steroids in bodybuilding is an open story. Though, use of anabolics is sort of prevalent in other sports too. But, when combined with an absence of drug testing, it becomes a recipe of disaster, which fosters uncontrolled use of assorted cocktails/mixtures of performance enhancing drugs, hormones, diuretics and various other substances.
The premier governing body for competitive bodybuilding, the IFBB, has policies regarding drug testing which conform to the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) Code. But that is nothing greater than a joke.
Different studies have given different percentages by way of steroid usage in bodybuilders, starting from 20-60% or more. But with over 2 many years of experience in the sector of sports, and competitive bodybuilding, let me provide you with the precise percentage. It is 100%. Yes, each bodybuilder competing on a traditional bodybuilding stage, is under the influence of various dosages of anabolic steroids, which might range of little to supraphysiological amounts.
If we observe closely, most of those deaths, including earlier ones, are cardiovascular in nature. Several studies have demonstrated that AAS unfavourably influences known heart problems risk aspects, and have demonstrated to markedly reduce high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, increase low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and increase homocysteine in bodybuilders.
Acc. to a studyusing anabolic steroids for medical indications is comparatively protected, but when used illicitly they will damage health and cause disorders affecting several functions (cardiovascular, reproductive, musculoskeletal, endocrine, renal, immunologic, and neuropsychiatric. These unintended effects include cardiac injuries akin to fibrosis, cardiac hypertrophy, and dilated cardiomyopathy with an increased risk for myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death.
