#274 - Performance-enhancing drugs and hormones: risks, rewards, and broader implications for the public | Derek: More Plates, More Dates

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We discuss:

• Derek's interest in weightlifting and experimentation with anabolic steroids at a young age [3:15];
• Derek's experience acquiring steroids from underground labs and the potential long-term fertility concerns early in his bodybuilding career [12:00];
• The backstory on More Plates, More Dates and Derek's unique ability to blend scientific knowledge with personal observation [17:00];
• Growth hormone – from extreme use-cases to the more typical – and the misconception that it's the "elixir of life" [21:30];
• Growth hormone 101: definition, where it comes from, and the challenges of measuring it [28:45];
• Does exogenous growth hormone compromise one's ability to make endogenous growth hormone? [40:00];
• The use of growth hormone in restoration of tissue during periods of healing [42:00];
• Growth hormone-releasing peptides to increase endogenous GH: various peptides, risks, benefits, and comparison to exogenous growth hormone [48:45];
• The role of growth hormone in building muscle and burning fat, as well as its effects on sleep and daytime lethargy [1:02:30];
• The evolution of drug use in the sport of bodybuilding [1:10:30];
• What explains the protruding abdomens on some bodybuilders and athletes? [1:20:30];
• Death of bodybuilders [1:26:00];
• The complex interplay of hormones, and the conversion of testosterone into metabolites like DHT and estrogen [1:33:45];
• Post-finasteride syndrome and how Derek successfully treated his hair loss [1:43:15];
• Testosterone replacement therapy: compelling use-cases, side effects, and optimal dosing schedules [1:57:15];
• Aromatase inhibitors to suppress estrogen, and the misconceptions around estrogen in men [2:16:00];
• Other hormones beyond testosterone for male sex hormone replacement [2:21:00];
• The history of anabolic compounds, and the differing effects of various anabolic testosterone derivatives and related drugs [2:24:30];
• Use of SARMs by bodybuilders [2:29:45];
• Anabolic steroid and testosterone regimens of professional bodybuilders and the downstream consequences [2:36:15];
• The challenge of accurate hormone testing in the presence of anabolic steroids and supplements [2:44:45];
• The use of Clomid, hCG, and enclomiphene [2:47:15];
• Concerns about fertility: comparing the use of testosterone and hCG [3:00:30];
• The use of BPC-157 peptide for healing injuries [3:12:00]; and
• More.

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