Many teenagers and young men used muscle-building supplements like Creatine. Creatine is thought by most sports medicine physicians to be safe; however, a recent article sites an increased risk of testicular cancer in young men using muscle-building supplements containing creatine and androstendione.
"Men who use muscle-building supplements (MBSs) that contain creatine or androstenedione may have up to 65% increased risk of developing testicular cancer", according to a case-control study published online March 31 in the British Journal of Cancer.
"Men who use muscle-building supplements (MBSs) that contain creatine or androstenedione may have up to 65% increased risk of developing testicular cancer", according to a case-control study published online March 31 in the British Journal of Cancer.
This risk increased even more among men who began using MBSs before age 25, who used various kinds of MBSs, or who used them for a long duration.
The study is the first to look at the epidemiologic associations between MBSs and testicular cancer, the researchers note.
Young people, in particular, use MBSs, and the number of users is increasing, according to senior author Tong Zhang Zheng, MB, ScD, who led the study at Yale University before joining the Brown University School of Public Health as a professor of epidemiology.
"Although no population survey data exist to suggest just what percentage of young people use MBSs, we do know that the MBS business rakes in billions of dollars," Dr Zheng commented in an interview.
Testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) is the most common solid cancer in men aged 15 to 39 years. The incidence of TGCC has risen in recent decades, climbing from 3.7 of 100,000 in 1975 to 5.9 of 100,000, according to background information in the article.
The study is the first to look at the epidemiologic associations between MBSs and testicular cancer, the researchers note.
Young people, in particular, use MBSs, and the number of users is increasing, according to senior author Tong Zhang Zheng, MB, ScD, who led the study at Yale University before joining the Brown University School of Public Health as a professor of epidemiology.
"Although no population survey data exist to suggest just what percentage of young people use MBSs, we do know that the MBS business rakes in billions of dollars," Dr Zheng commented in an interview.
Testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) is the most common solid cancer in men aged 15 to 39 years. The incidence of TGCC has risen in recent decades, climbing from 3.7 of 100,000 in 1975 to 5.9 of 100,000, according to background information in the article.
