The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- John Furner
Robert F. Kennedy Jnr has admitted for the first time that he uses testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) — which some doctors describe as ‘legal steroids’.
The Democratic presidential hopeful admitted he is on an ‘anti-aging’ protocol prescribed by his doctor that includes TRT, a hormone treatment that can cause an increased risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes in some cases.
Mr Kennedy’s admissions has led some to call him out for hypocrisy. His political career has been built on peddling hardline anti-vaxx views for years, including the claim that vaccines cause autism and kill more children than they protect.
Speculation about the 69-year-old’s physique was rife last month when videos and photos of him looking buff and working out at the beach went viral.
Some doctors at the time suggested he may be using steroids due to the fact that he has made rapid physical gains at his age.
Robert Kennedy Jr. back in 2012, aged 58, in Massachusetts for a July 4th celebration, without his buff physique
A remarkable video surfaced last week of the 69-year-old Democratic presidential candidate lifting weights at the legendary Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach, dubbed ‘the Mecca of bodybuilding’. Mr Kennedy has since admitted taking ‘legal steroids’ on a podcast
Mr Kennedy told the Lex Fridman podcast Thursday: ‘I take a lot of vitamins, I can’t even list them to you here because I couldn’t even remember them all, but I take atone of vitamins and nutrients.
‘I’m on an anti-aging protocol from my doctor that includes testosterone replacement.’
But immediately after his TRT admission, Mr Kennedy told Mr Fridman: ‘But I don’t take any steroids.’
‘I don’t take any anabolic steroids or anything like that and the TRT I use is bioidentical to what my body produced.’
TRT, also known as androgen replacement therapy, is used to treat low testosterone levels – but clinics have begun doling it out liberally in recent years due to the treatment’s ability to boost muscle mass.
While advocates claim the jabs help men with low testosterone ‘regain their health, vitality and return to a fulfilling sex life’, they also shut off the body’s natural production of the male hormone – potentially triggering a host of complications when misused.
And it is this that is causing concern, as its use soars among young men desperate to match the muscular physiques seen on social media, as well as older men seeking to recapture the vigor of their youth.
Evidence shows TRT has side effects which may include: lower sperm count, which can cause infertility, increased risk of blood clots, shrinkage of the testicles, larger breasts and ankles and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Anabolic steroids, on the other hand, are man-made versions of testosterone, which are used to increase muscle size and strength in athletic performance enhancement and bodybuilding.
Doctors speculated that Mr Kennedy’s ‘massive physical transformation in his late 60s’ was due to steroids.
When asked for his thoughts on hormone therapy in general, Mr Kennedy said: ‘I talk to a lot of doctors about that stuff, because I’m interested in health and I’ve heard really good things about it, but I don’t know, I’m definitely not an expert on it.’
According to the Testosterone Centers of Texas, TRT is a safe medical treatment for a legitimate medical condition.
Steroid use, on the other hand, is unsafe and is not used in the treatment of any medical condition.
It is illegal to use steroids without a valid prescription in the US. They are classified as Schedule III drugs under the Controlled Substances Act.
TRT is sometimes dubbed ‘legal steroids’ because people who take steroids use unsafe doses of the same medication, testosterone cypionate, commonly used in TRT.
Meanwhile, Mr Kennedy has long been critical of vaccines, claiming they cause autism.
An interview conducted by Jordan Peterson with the presidential hopeful was recently removed from YouTube for sharing vaccine misinformation, and he has been banned from Instagram for posting ‘debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines.’
When Mr Kennedy was asked during a town hall last week by a doctor about his stance on vaccines, he denied he has ever been against them.
‘I’ve never been anti-vaccine,’ RFK Jr. claimed.
He went on to explain: ‘My position on vaccines is that they should be tested like other medicines, they should be safety tested.
‘And unfortunately, vaccines are not safety tested, they’re not,’ he falsely claimed.
