Intended for healthcare professionals

Minerva

Minerva

BMJ 1996; 313 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.313.7050.178 (Published 20 July 1996) Cite this as: BMJ 1996;313:178

For many years athletes have been using anabolic steroids to increase muscle mass and strength, but because this treatment is illegal it has not been evaluated scientifically—until now. A research study in California (New England Journal of Medicine 1996;335:1-7) compared the effects of injections of testosterone enathate or placebo with or without exercise in 43 volunteer men and found that the testosterone did increase muscle size and strength even without exercise but that weightlifting exercise improved the results

In Europe, screening for breast cancer with mammography is generally offered to women over the age of 50, but in the United States many programmes offer screening from the age of 40. Two research papers in “JAMA” (1996;276:33-43) provide further evidence that screening is more sensitive in women over the age of 50, but an editorial (73-4) argues that the solution is for women in their 40s to be screened more often. Cost per year of life expectancy gained would still compare favourably with that associated with screening for cancers of the cervix or colon.

The total number of women in Britain with silicone implants in their breasts is thought to be over 100 000. Most of the …

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