Major findings in a new survey of 500 steroid users reveal specific, alarming trends: most are non-athletes whose sole intention is to improve their physical appearance; users are taking larger doses than previously recorded; and even though nearly all admitted to adverse side effects, health concerns are not enough to deter their steroid use.
The results of the survey were released at the 52nd American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn.
The survey was conducted to identify current trends in steroid-taking habits. Researchers posted an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire to several message boards on Web sites popular among steroid users. While it is known the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) among bodybuilders is widespread to increase muscle size and strength, information regarding self-administered AAS used non-medically to enhance athletic performance or improve physical appearance is sparse and poorly documented.
Of the 500 AAS users who participated in the survey, 78.4 percent (392/500) were non-competitive bodybuilders and non-athletes. Nearly 60 percent (298/500) reported using at least 1000mg of testosterone or its equivalent per week. The majority (99.2 percent or 496/500) of AAS users self-administer their injections, and up to 13 percent (65/500) report unsafe injection practices, such as re-using needles, sharing needles, and sharing multi-dose vials. In addition to using AAS, 25 percent of users admitted to also using growth hormone and insulin for anabolic effect. Finally, 99.2 percent (496/500) of users reported subjective side effects from AAS use.