Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42037159›Full record

ArticleDrug and alcohol review2026

The Trenbolo(g)ne Sandwich: An International Study Comparing Health Harms Among Men Who Use Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids With and Without Trenbolone.

Benjamin Bonenti, Bahareh Ahmadinejad, Cheneal Puljević, Jason Ferris, Adam Winstock, Kyle T Ganson, Jason M Nagata, Adam Bradshaw, Timothy Piatkowski

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Drug and alcohol review, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Benjamin BonentiSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.ORCID 0009-0009-8759-2101
Bahareh AhmadinejadSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Cheneal PuljevićSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-3658-9772
Jason FerrisSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-7474-0173
Adam WinstockUniversity College London, London, UK.
Kyle T GansonFactor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Jason M NagataDivision of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Adam BradshawSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Timothy PiatkowskiSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Funding

National Health and Medical Research Council 2041822
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionTrenbolone is a high-risk anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS), yet quantitative evidence describing its psychosocial and physical harm profile remains limited. This study compared self-reported concerns among men who used trenbolone in the past 12 months (trenbolone group) with those who used other AAS but not trenbolone (non-trenbolone group).

methodsData were drawn from male respondents to the Global Drug Survey 2024 who reported past-year AAS consumption (N = 1146; M

resultsChi-square analyses indicated that psychosocial concerns, including mood instability, irritability and depressive symptoms, were significantly more common among the trenbolone group (all p < 0.001), with small-to-moderate effect sizes (ϕ = 0.13 to 0.20). Physical concerns, particularly cardiovascular and hepatic effects, were also significantly more prevalent among the trenbolone group (all p < 0.001; ϕ = 0.18 to 0.20). UpSet plot visualisations showed denser clustering of harms among the trenbolone group compared with the non-trenbolone group. DISCUSSION AND

conclusionsTrenbolone use is associated with a higher prevalence and co-occurrence of psychosocial and physical concerns relative to other AAS use. These harms suggest trenbolone use is reflective of severe risk profiles within the AAS-using communities. Targeted harm-reduction messaging and clinical screening strategies may be warranted for this subgroup.

Indexed as

Anabolic AgentsAnabolic Androgenic SteroidsSubstance-Related DisordersTrenbolone AcetateAdultHumansMaleMiddle AgedYoung AdultAnabolic AgentsAnabolic Androgenic SteroidsTrenbolone Acetateanabolic‐androgenic steroidscardiometabolic harmsglobal drug surveyharm reductionpsychosocial harmsside effectstrenbolone

Identifiers

PMID42037159
PMCPMC13112052

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.