Impaired Cardiovascular Parameters in Resistance Training Practitioners Who Take Ergogenic Aids

Abstract

Background: Although there are studies on blood pressure (BP) and autonomic cardiac control (ACC) impairments caused by ergogenic aids, research has scarcely addressed this analysis during sleep. This study analyzed BP and ACC during sleep and wake periods in three groups of resistance training (RT) practitioners: ergogenic aid non-users, thermogenic supplement (TS) self-users, and anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) self-users. Methods: RT practitioners were selected for the Control Group (CG; n = 15), TS self-users Group (TSG; n = 15), and AAS self-users Group (AASG; n = 15). All individuals underwent cardiovascular Holter monitoring (BP, ACC) during sleep and wake periods. Results: The maximum systolic BP (SBP) during sleep was higher in AASG (p p p p = 0.009) than the other groups. Additionally, CG had higher values (p p < 0.001) from the other groups. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that high doses of TS and AAS can impair cardiovascular parameters during sleep in RT practitioners who take ergogenic aids.

Keywords

• autonomic nervous system
• blood pressure
• ergogenic resource
• heart rate
• sleep