The idea of steroids having direct fat burning properties is a commonly held belief among steroid users. This is why bodybuilders use steroids for also dieting, so they can maintain more muscle and lose more fat. How does anabolic steroids help burn fat, is it direct or indirect and what type of fat. I’ll help try to answer these questions.

Steroid fat loss studies

Unfortunately, most of the studies on fat loss and steroids is done on cattle. It’s a pretty scientific way of looking at it since it’s a controlled environment and they don’t do anything unique that might alter results.

In a study published in J Anim Sci. 2007 Feb;85(2):430-40 they measured carcasses of steers and cattle after they had been implanted with Synovex-Plus (SP), which is testosterone. This study shows that anabolic implants do not appear to have direct effects on itra-muscular lipid deposition. In other words implanting did not change the bodyfat percentage of visceral fat, the fat inside or around the muscles.Another study J Anim Sci. 1999 May;77(5):1100-4 used implanted steroids trenbolone acetate plus estradiol benzoate ot progesterone at various times and dosages over 2 months. They found no significant differences on intramuscular lipid content.

Notice in those studies that they are talking about intramuscular fat. Its been theorized by many that steroids do a bad job of stopping intramuscular or “visceral fat”. However, they do seem to help promote fat loss overall. This is done by losing fat subcutaneously, which is the fat under the skin, which you can visually see.

A study published in J Anim Sci. 1996 Aug;74(8):1770-6. compared control cattle to three other groups; those implanted with trenbalone acetate, implanted with testosterone propionate +20 mg of estradiol benzoate, or both implants. This study found that groups all gained weight and lost fat(were leaner cows). Interesting enough they found the cows that had been implanted with 200 mg trenbolone acetate only, were the leanest.

Another study published in J Anim Sci. 1987 May;64(5):1428-33 showed that suggest that trenbolone acetate is able to depress lipogenesis only when not competing with the effects of circulating estradiol. This means that it stops fat from forming directly, when estrogen isn’t circulating. This supports the previous study, that when trenabolone is taken by itself it has better fat burning properties. We know from the other studies it doesn’t change visceral fat around the organs or inside the muscles. Steroids seem to have the ability to instead burn the subcutaneous fat and not the internal fat.

Steroids fat loss action on the AR receptor

All androgenic steroids bind to the AR receptor at different levels, not only in muscles but fat cells too. When steroids bind to the AR receptor in the fat cells stronger they probably cause more subcutaneous fat loss. Trenabolone binds very strongly, much stronger than testosterone (3.5 times more). The fact that tren binds strongly to the AR and it doesn’t aromotize to estrogen may be one reason why it seems to be better at preventing fat gain during bulking compared to testosterone. As in the last study cited on cattle, only when estradiol (an estrogen) was not circulating, did tren stop fat from forming directly. Taking testosterone while dieting will help you burn fat too, just not as much as tren because of the estrogen circulating due to aromization. Testosterone also doesn’t bind as strongly to the AR receptor. Another reason why steroids might help with fat loss is by decreasing the levels of an enzyme called lipasel. This forms lipids in fat cells and may be upregulated by how strongly a steroid attaches to a AR receptor in the fat cells.

Steroids fat loss action on the glucocortisoid receptor

All steroids upregulate the glucocortisoid receptor. By blocking this receptor they control coristol and is this is how people on steroids can workout more often, without as much worry about overtraining. Controlling cortisol should lead to fat loss because cortisol promotes fat gain and muscle loss. When you prevent cortisol from attaching to the glucocorticoid receptor, you lower lipasel. This is the same enzyme we mentioned earlier, that helps form lipid.

Special Cutting steroids

Winstrol and tren are a couple steroids touted to be popular for using during cutting. One major reason is because they don’t convert to estrogen. This reduces water bloat and makes it easier to see your fat loss. They should especially help fat burning, if taken by themselves because of no circulating estrogen. Estrogen is not completely evil for fat burning, there is some fat burning properties of estrogen according to studies. The fat burning power of anabolic steroids is probably stronger for burning fat than estrogen. Therefore, the benefits of non-aromatizing steroid only cycles benefits those stacked with aromatizing steroids for cutting.

It’s amazing how many bodybuilders and health enthusiasits are spending thousands of dollars a year to use HGH, when there is so little information on it’s ability to build muscles and lose fat and on it’s long term side effects.

HGH use became common in the hardcore bodybuilding circles, once it became established that many pro-bodybuilders used HGH together with anabolic steroids. Pro bodybuilders today are more muscular than decades ago, one reason is thought to be because of using HGH. But Pro bodybuilders may not even be more muscular because of HGH use. It could be because of other reasons, such as synthol use, stronger steroid doses, different diets or training, or even from other growth factor drugs like insulin and IGF-1.

Whether or not HGH has actually been the reason that pro-bodybuilders are bigger now, their HGH and IGF-1 use has led to them losing that V-shape proportion they once all had. It is a scientific fat that HGH grows internal organs. When bodybuilders at a 3% bodyfat have a GH gut, it has to be due to organ growth inside the midsection from either HGH or other injected growth factors, like IGF-1 or Insulin.

Does HGH actually build muscle and lose fat?

Most of the research studies on HGH, use doses lower than what most bodybuilders use. They also don’t use HGH combined with steroids, which many bodybuilders believe is important to maximizing the muscle building effect of HGH. Regardless of the faults in the studies, there is an interesting trend among all the research studies so far. Results usually show lean gains, but usually with no strength or performance enhancing benefit.

How can you gain lean muscle with no strength gains?

The fact is you can’t. More muscle always makes you stronger. Each pound of muscle has the same amount of strength. If these people in these studies are gaining lean mass, but not getting stronger, than they are not gaining lean muscle, but some other kind of lean mass. Period. Remember, lean mass can be anything besides fat such as; bones, water bloat, cartilidge, and organs. I believe in one study HGH use showed excessive water retention. In these short term studies, water bloat and some organ growth probably accounts for most if not all the lean gains.

For some reason in bodybuilding circles, many assume HGH builds muscles, but there is no proof, except from reading other bodybuilders’ ancedotal evidence. As stated earlier, just because pro bodybuilders are bigger doesn’t necessarily mean it’s from HGH alone.
Adding the fact that HGH can cause internal organ growth, is unsafe, and very expensive, I see no need to ever use or recommend HGH. If HGH has any use for bodybuilders, HGH probably is best for losing fat. The studies are a little more contradicting on whether it helps people lose fat. Even if HGH helps lose fat, HGH is one expensive fat loss drug!

Does HGH cause “GH gut”?

HGH and IGF-1 and Insulin are thought to be possible causes of GH gut. Some bodybuilders have tried to argue, HGH doesn’t cause GH gut seen in some pro-bodybuilders and its actually due to Insulin and IGF-1 or a combination of HGH and these drugs. This theory is based on some research for receptors on the intenstines.

Is using HGH unhealthy?

You may have heard of many health or alternative medicine enthusiasts recommend GH for middle aged people. There is no proof that HGH actually leads to a longer more quality life, just because it makes you look younger. In fact, many studies have shown negative health effects from HGH use. HGH has pretty potent side effects on organs and the body and it’s abuse is probably more harmful than steroid abuse.

The ongong HGH debate

Admittedly, there just isn’t a whole lot we know about HGH. Bodybuilders are eager to make it into some magic muscle building drug because they are overly optimistic. Doctors are ready to discount HGH like they did with steroids years ago, before they had all the evidence on whether or not it worked. About the only thing we know for sure, is that pro-bodybuilders use it commonly and that many middle aged people use it to look younger.