Deca Promotes Recovery From Muscle Injury
Many bodybuilders take testosterone supplements to increase muscle mass and strength. Medically, the drug is often used to treat physical deterioration that accompanies aging and prevents muscle wasting in patients with degenerative diseases or undergoing cancer treatment. Its role in muscle injury repair has been controversial. Anabolic steroids increase the release of corticosteroids, which have been implicated in strains and sprains in athletes.
James Wright and colleagues from the University of South Carolina found that mice injected with a drug designed to create muscle injury recovered faster after treatment with the anabolic steroid nandrolone decanoate (Deca). After 42 days of treatment, animals given nandrolone showed larger fiber diameter and enhanced muscle regeneration compared to those treated with a placebo (fake nandrolone). The study showed that nandrolone decanoate promoted recovery from muscle injury. (Journal of Applied Physiology, 107: 1420-1430, 2009)
