BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- In a small but significant study sponsored by the American Heart Association, investigators found that prolonged steroid use could weaken the heart and may increase the risk of heart failure and sudden cardiac death.

Anabolic steroids mimic naturally occurring testosterone, a muscle-building hormone that promotes male sexual characteristics.

Researchers compared a group of steroid-using male weight lifters, who reported taking about 675 milligrams of steroids per week over a nine-year period to a control group of age-matched, male weight lifters who did not use the drug.

Both groups had comparable durations of past and current weight lifting, as well as, similar cardiac risk factors other than the steroid use.

After evaluating the two groups, researchers found that the left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber, was significantly weaker during contraction in those who had taken steroids compared to the group of non-users.

Low pumping capacity has been connected in past studies to a myriad of heart problems including cardiac arrest.