Derek of More Plates More Dates digs into how steroid use (and abuse) changes how you age
Performance-enhancing drug abuse is rampant in bodybuilding, sparking widespread debate about its effects on health and aging. Derek, the face behind More Plates More Dates, recently tackled this issue in a YouTube video.
Steroids offer significant performance benefits—boosting muscle growth, endurance, and overall athletic ability. However, as Derek from More Plates More Dates warns, they also accelerate aging by increasing oxidative stress and systemic inflammation.
“It’s not a coincidence, in my opinion,” he shares. “I think systemic inflammation, oxidative stress is something that goes overlooked. People often say that guys look older who use steroids.”
He argues that excessive steroid use requires caution, emphasizing that these compounds are not ‘risk-free.’
“I think it is kind of a perpetual heightened level of oxidative stress on the system that you then need to modulate your antioxidant intake accordingly and be way more dialed on your lifestyle. Everything has to be at a higher level to attenuate the otherwise damaging state of perpetually supra-androgen exposure. It’s not something that’s just risk-free.”
The Health and Aging Impacts of Steroid Abuse in Athletics and Bodybuilding
As stated by Derek MPMD, PED abuse can lead to an array of health issues, some of which impact aging.
Beyond the bodybuilding stage, powerlifters and other athletes have also noticed how steroid abuse can hasten the aging process. This was brought to light by Larry Wheels, who shared before-and-after photos of his face following years of PED misuse.
RELATED: Bodybuilders Are Dying – An Investigation Into Modern Bodybuilding, Health, & PED Use
As Derek warns, the impact of steroid abuse often goes unnoticed until it’s too late.
“I think blood pressure is a shockingly overlooked and easy-to-regulate thing that often leads to premature kidney deterioration but also changes in the heart. Almost every time you see a bodybuilder die early, it’s a cardiovascular-related issue and it’s often from mismanaged lipids, systemic inflammation on top of that, and mismanaged or unaddressed entirely blood pressure, which can lead to not just functional changes in the heart but the actual shape and structure of it that leads to the dysfunction is pretty common.”
Although we see athletes and bodybuilders using these substances, now even teenagers are getting mixed up with steroids. Bodybuilding veteran Victor Richards spoke on that concern during a Generation Iron Podcast, calling attention to an ‘epidemic’ affecting young people. He believes those who have yet to reach their mid-20s face a higher chance of stunted brain development if they use steroids.
The bottom line? Derek MPMD believes steroid use does speed up the aging process. He contends that this effect can be mitigated through strict lifestyle choices and adaptations, so always approach steroid use with caution.
