UK Anti-Doping warns young men not to use steroids in pursuit of 'ideal' body

Nicole Sapstead says said young men are 'bombarded with imagery of the ideal, sculpted body'

New year, new body. But how far would you go?

A recent report by Strava suggested 19 January is the day people are most likely to quit their New Year's resolutions. If you're still hanging in there, more power to you.

But would you be tempted to take a potentially dangerous shortcut?

UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) is warning young men not to use image and performance-enhancing drugs (IPEDs) - of which anabolic steroids are the most common type.

How widely are IPEDs used - and who's using them?

A study carried out by Ukad for Clean Sport Week 2019 found 34% of the gym-goers surveyed are aware of IPED use in their gym or club. The most common reasons given for use were cosmetic (56%), non-competitive bodybuilding (45%) and enhancing sports performance (27%).

The Guardian estimated in January 2018 that the number of Britons using steroids for cosmetic reasons, rather than sport, was one million.

And according to the 2016 Ukad IPED survey, the most common demographic for steroid use was men aged 20-24.

Why are young men using steroids?

Ukad chief executive Nicole Sapstead said young men are "bombarded with imagery of the ideal, sculpted body" - including via social media - but added: "Not everyone has the motivation or in fact the physiology to achieve this body type through exercise and healthy eating."

There are also concerns that IPEDs are becoming easier to get hold of.

Ukad chair Trevor Pearce said: "The increasing availability and ease of acquiring anabolic steroids via social media and the internet is extremely alarming."

What problems can IPED use cause?

Regularly taking anabolic steroids can lead to physical and psychological changes in men and women, as well as potentially dangerous medical conditions, including male pattern baldness, acne, excess body hair, gynaecomastia (man-boobs), genitourinary (shrinking of testicles), erectile dysfunction, infertility, liver dysfunction and jaundice, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, heart attack, stroke, cardiac hypertrophy, blood-borne virus risk as result of injecting

In terms of psychological side-effects, they may include dependence, depression, aggression, decreased libido, mood changes and paranoia.

In 2018, the University of Copenhagen published a survey in the Journal of Internal Medicine, which looked at more than 500 men who used steroids and found that mortality rates were three times higher amongst users.

Ukad calls this a public health issue.