What Is ‘Roid Gut’ and What Is Causing It?

The condition known as ‘roid gut’ is when the intestine becomes enlarged because of an excess amount of water. The term 'roid' can mean many things, one meaning in this context is to inject steroids . Another meaning for roid is growth hormone. This condition is usually accompanied by liver problems and heart troubles.
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The most common cause of distended abdomens among people who use performance-enhancing drugs (steroids) is steroid gut or rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis leads to damage to renal tubules, which causes increased reabsorption of sodium and water from the kidneys; sodium, water, chloride, potassium and bicarbonate are all pulled out of the body into the intestines and stomach and absorbed there.

This is how this condition gets its name: roid gut–abdominal distention caused by the intestines filling up with fluid. The steroid user’s digestive tract swells, thanks to large amounts of water retention, and the intestinal lining becomes inflamed. This is called leaky gut syndrome or increased intestinal permeability. This allows bacteria normally found in the intestines (and which should be kept in check) to enter the blood stream through the inflamed intestine wall; hence, systemic infections become a big risk when taking anabolic steroids.

The liver and kidneys work together to filter out toxins from the body; they must be able to break down and remove excess hormones such as cortisol , testosterone, and aldosterone from the body. When you take large doses of anabolic steroids, they can overwhelm your liver’s ability to metabolize them.
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The muscles hold most of the water in your body so when you train hard it is usually not a problem. But when you use large amounts of anabolic steroids, they increase protein synthesis – including muscle protein – which increases myofibril hypertrophy or muscle fiber growth – that's why people using steroid will have bigger muscles than those who do not.

This increased mass pulls more water into the muscle cells where it stays because a cell cannot release its internal fluids once it absorbs them; this causes the cell to inflate like a water balloon . It swells within its membrane and the membrane stretches. This stretching and swelling contributes to roid gut’s bloated appearance.

When you add anabolic steroids like testosterone, growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), or insulin into the mix, it can increase muscle anabolism even more; this extra muscle development pulls even more water into the muscle cells that are already swollen with increased protein synthesis…and so on…

This cycle of myofibril hypertrophy increasing water retention is usually seen most in people who use AAS for mass gaining purposes. When users continue to use their muscles intensely, over time they become resistant to growth stimulation. As a result, some users turn to GH or IGF-1 alone or in combination with steroids to build muscle. Steroids, GH and IGF-1 further increase the amount of water retention which can increase into a dangerous state.
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This condition not only causes discomfort but it can be life threatening if left untreated because excess fluid in your abdomen puts pressure on other organs like your heart and lungs. An enlarged stomach places extra stress on the diaphragm, which is the main breathing muscle you will eventually not be able to breathe effectively...you will slowly suffocate to death.

With steroid gut, your abdomen can become so bloated with excess fluid that you could lose the ability to move around because of the pain in your muscles and ribs. The pressure on your heart can be great enough to force fluid out of blood vessels into the lungs where it becomes pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs).

As your liver and kidneys continue to work overtime trying to perform their many important functions while also filtering out all this extra water, they can become damaged; rhabdomyolysis which is already occurring from too much protein synthesis caused by the large amounts of anabolic steroids used, stresses these organs even further. When breakdown products like amino acids enter bloodstream through muscle damage due to excessive training, the kidneys can be further stressed. This is why some steroid users experience kidney failure.
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* The most common cause of kidney problems in bodybuilders is Roid-Gut.
Roid-gut occurs because steroids increase nitrogen retention by muscles and amino acids are the building blocks of proteins.

Anabolic steroids cause large amounts of protein to be stored in muscle tissue; this increases muscle size but also causes more stress on the kidneys which must work harder to filter out all these extra nitrogenous wastes.

This increased workload on the kidneys eventually damages their ability to perform normally. It is not uncommon for people who use anabolic steroids to suffer from rhabdomyolysis (the rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle) leading to serious renal (kidney) problems.

One of the most common causes of kidney damage and failure in steroid users is rhabdomyolysis (the rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle). Large amounts of protein synthesis caused by the large amounts of anabolic steroids used place stress on your kidneys; this leads to total renal shutdown.

When your kidneys fail, waste products like urea and creatinine start to build up in your blood which makes you nauseous, weak and fatigued because you can't get enough oxygen into your body due to pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs). Because these wastes don’t leave through urine, they accumulate even more rapidly leading to death unless dialysis or renal transplants are performed. Even with treatment these cases are often fatal.
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When you use anabolic steroids while weight training, your kidneys must work harder to filter out all the extra nitrogenous wastes that these drugs cause, putting stress on their ability to perform normally. It is not uncommon for steroid users to suffer from rhabdomyolysis (the rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle) leading to serious renal problems…even death in extreme cases.

* Use of AAS increases production 1-androsterone which raises estrogen levels and causes water retention...the resulting discomfort can only be relieved by stopping usage.

Anabolic steroids cause large amounts of protein to be stored in muscle tissue; this increases muscle size but also places stress on the kidneys which must work harder to filter out all these extra nitrogenous wastes...all this takes its toll on your vital organs, and death can result if it is not treated.

Rhabdomyolysis (the rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle) leading to serious renal damage and failure, sudden death is most commonly caused by anabolic steroid use.

Both kidney and liver cells are damaged because they have to work much harder than normal just to try and break down these proteins that keep building up every time you inject another shot into your body. One study even found that 75% of steroid users had abnormal liver function and liver enzymes were increased in 92% of steroid users.
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* If your kidneys fail, waste products like urea and creatinine start to build up in your blood which makes you nauseous, weak and fatigued because you can't get enough oxygen into your body due to pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs). Because these wastes don’t leave through urine, they accumulate even more rapidly leading to death unless dialysis is performed. Even with treatment these cases are often fatal.

AAS immediately affects the kidneys: it increases production of 1-androsterone (an androgen) which raises estrogen levels and causes water retention...the resulting discomfort can only be relieved by stopping usage; eventually this results in rhabdomyolysis leading to renal failure.

“Roid gut,” often associated with steroid abuse, is a form of stomach irritation caused by direct contact with the gastric lining and prolonged nausea and vomiting...death has occurred from malnutrition and liver failure.

The use of steroids while weight training your kidneys must work harder to filter out all the extra nitrogenous wastes that these drugs cause, putting stress on their ability to perform normally. It is not uncommon for steroid users to suffer from rhabdomyolysis (the rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle) leading to serious renal problems…even death in extreme cases.

One study found that 75% of steroid users had abnormal liver function; 92% had increased enzymes indicating liver damage. Long term effects of steroid use include hepatitis and cirrhosis, which can cause liver cancer.

Roid gut (“roid rage”) often associated with steroid abuse is a form of stomach irritation caused by direct contact with the gastric lining; prolonged nausea and vomiting result; this can lead to death from malnutrition or more commonly liver failure. Death has occurred from malnutrition and liver failure...as many as 15 percent of steroid abusers will die.
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Long term effects of steroid use include hepatitis and cirrhosis, which can cause liver cancer . Anabolic steroids are derivatives of the male hormone testosterone. The average user takes between 5-10 times normal doses pushing their body close to chemical overdose levels just to get an effect. As blood passes through the liver some of it is metabolized by enzymes, but a large amount remains unchanged.

​Elevated estrogen levels from use of steroids cause water retention, which in turn puts more pressure on your liver and kidneys...water can also accumulate in other tissue such as lungs, giving you that “puffy” look. If your kidneys fail, waste products like urea and creatinine start to build up in your blood which makes you nauseous, weak and fatigued because you can't get enough oxygen into your body due to pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs).

Because these wastes don’t leave through urine they accumulate even more rapidly leading to death unless dialysis is performed. Even with treatment these cases are often fatal.