Does Trenbolone cause Alzheimer’s
Trenbolone (also known as Trienolone and Trienbolone) is a Nandrolone (19-Nortestosterone) derivative and perhaps the most infamous AAS ever developed.
It was first synthesized from Nandrolone in the late 1960s and starting in the early 1970s it was sold for the purpose of growing lean mass and increasing appetite in cattle.
Trenbolone was adopted by bodybuilders as a contest prep agent in the 1980s, and it has remained the king of cutting AAS ever since.
Its powerful, versatile nature and potentially devastating side-effects have turned it into one of the most feared yet appealing AAS on the market, with thousands of people risking their health to get insane results from it.
What benefits can one expect from it? Well, other than a ridiculous increase in lean muscle tissue and strength, one will experience improved vascularity, muscle hardness, fat loss, libido and even confidence. It is not uncommon for enhanced bodybuilders to claim that Trenbolone causes a “god-like” feeling.
Unfortunately, it is not all fun and games.
In terms of side-effects, Trenbolone is infamous for causing aggression, damaging the organs, making it hard to sleep properly and increasing prolactin levels by acting as a progestin, but one of the most serious aspects of Trenbolone that does not get much attention is the effect it has on the brain.
According to animal (rat) studies, Trenbolone is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and induce apoptosis of primary hippocampal neurons while increasing the concentration of a protein known as A-Beta-42. [R]
In other words, Trenbolone kills neurons in the hippocampus, which is the region of the brain that controls both short-term and long-term memory. Furthermore, high AB42 concentrations have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. [R]
This is incredibly concerning, because it means that repeated Trenbolone use could seriously affect one’s memory, promote neurodegeneration and increase the chances of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s later in life.
What is also concerning is that in this study, not even Testosterone and estradiol were able to protect the brain from Trenbolone, meaning that the theory that keeping estradiol levels slightly high on Trenbolone to prevent brain damage is NOT valid.
But is all hope lost? Is it possible to use avoid or at least mitigate this terrible side-effect?
The truth is we don’t know. We could theorize that supplementing with neuroprotective nootropics that stimulate memory by increasing the expression of neurotransmitters like glutamate and acetylcholine in the hippocampus MAY counteract the neurotoxicity of Trenbolone, but this is just a theory that has never been studied.
A possible solution may be Oxiracetam, which has been shown to decrease the expression of the protein A-Beta-42 (which is linked to Alzheimer’s and which Trenbolone increases). [R]
In our opinion, athletes who want (or rather NEED) to use Trenbolone should consider supplementing with nootropics like Oxiracetam + Alpha-GPC and limit Trenbolone use as much as possible to prevent long-term brain damage.
