Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Maria Hopman, Radboud University, Netherlands
- Second opponent: Associate Professor Henrik Horwitz, Bispebjerg Hospital and University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Senior Consultant Gudrun Høiseth, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor II Torsten Eken, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Professor II Jonny Hisdal, University of Oslo
Summary
The thesis investigates the impact of long-term, high-dose anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use on vascular function and morphology. AAS, including testosterone and its synthetic derivatives, are increasingly used for aesthetic and performance-enhancing purposes. The study compared AAS users with weight-lifting controls (WLC).
Results showed impaired vascular function in AAS users, demonstrated by reduced flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and carotid artery reactivity (CAR%). Additionally, AAS users showed increased arterial stiffness and intima-media thickness in the carotid artery, with similar results in mice exposed to testosterone. AAS users also showed significantly higher spatial coefficient of variation (sCoV) of cerebral blood flow in gray matter than the WLC, indicating that AAS use is harmful for the cerebral vasculature.
The thesis concludes that long-term AAS use pose a significant risk to cardiovascular health, highlighting the necessity for clinicans and society to recognize AAS use as a serious health threat, especially in young men.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.