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Men who use muscle-building and fitness supplements that contain creatine or androstenedione are being exposed to higher risk of getting testicular cancer, according to a study published in 2015 in the world renowned online resource British Journal of Cancer. This risk seems to rise even more among men who begin using said supplements before the age 25.

Risk is rising if there are various kinds of supplements used to build muscle, or with men who use them for a prolonged period of time. The newly revealed study included 356 men diagnosed with testicular cancer in the period between 2006 and 2010. Control group contained of 513 men with no signs of testicular cancer at the moment of the survey. Participants were between 18 and 55 years of age.

The surveyed patients were enrolled in a enquete and subjected whether they had some of the most common risk factors for development of testicular cancer that is tobacco smoking, drinking alcohol, levels of exercise, family history of cancer, undescended testicles, and past injuries to the testicles and groin area.

The interviewers also asked about their lifetime supplement use. This includes the use of over 30 different types of fitness and muscle-building supplement powders or pills. The researchers used product labels to look into their main ingredients. It is said that most of the products that were examined were including said creatine, protein, and androstenedione.

Monitored interviews have revealed that as much as 20% of participants who were diagnosed with testicular cancer had previous history of muscle-building supplements usage. It remains unknown what are the exact ingredients in muscle-building supplements that might be held responsible for triggering the disease, but scientists do know some of the components can seriously damage the testicles.

Natural ingredients in fitness and muscle-building supplements are known to act like artificial hormones. Some products could also have impurities or less-active substances than those listed on product labels. Still others may have potentially dangerous ingredients that are not listed on the label.

These could be androgenic steroids, which are known to have been linked to testicular cancer in rats during extended lab tests.