Taking anabolic steroids can help older or sick adults who are losing muscle gain more muscle and get stronger, compared to not taking anything at all.
Claim Language
Language Strength
definitive
Uses definitive language (causes, prevents, cures)
The verb 'increases' is used in a direct, unqualified manner to assert a specific magnitude of effect (0.46 and 0.31 effect sizes), indicating a definitive causal relationship rather than a probabilistic or associative one.
Context Details
Domain
medicine
Population
human
Subject
Anabolic-androgenic steroid administration
Action
increases
Target
lean body mass by 0.46 effect size and muscle strength by 0.31 effect size
Intervention Details
Gold Standard Evidence Needed
According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Can conditions of skeletal muscle loss be improved by combining exercise with anabolic–androgenic steroids? A systematic review and meta-analysis of testosterone-based interventions
This study found that giving anabolic steroids to people losing muscle due to illness or inactivity helped them gain muscle and get stronger, just like the claim said — and the numbers matched perfectly.