Apr 08 2009
Increasing Number of Minors Using Steroids Alarms Lawmakers in UK
Using supplements to enhance physical appearance is common to bodybuilders and other sports. Usually these are being used by professionals with the supervision of an expert or a doctor. However, the use of these supplements and other performance enhancing substances by minors can be an alarming situation. It can pose serious health risk to the user especially that taking these substances were being done without any professional supervision.
This is what the major concern of Tom Brake the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson. He was alarmed of the increasing number of minors taking steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. Based on the data presented to Brake, the incidence of children who were admitted to hospital for steroid use has already increased 42% in the last 5 years. The common symptoms and diagnosis of these minors was due to steroid poisoning. There was an increase from 97 cases to 138 cases.
The data doubled for minors aging 11-15 years old who used steroids or muscle building supplements. There were 6,800 cases in 2001 but in 2007, the figures reached 13,300. Some experts said that these may not be the actual figures since there were some undocumented cases.
Other significant information that was released in the Parliament were an increase in the hospital admission of adults due to steroid related problems. Based on the data, there was an increase of 64% of adults admitted to hospital in the last 5 years. The places where there was a high incidence of steroid use were identified in London and South West. The data for West Midlands shows that the admissions were more than doubled as compared to other places in the UK.
It was also revealed that charges and convictions of dealers and suppliers of steroids were only minimal. The report says that in the last 5 years only 14 people were found guilty of supplying anabolic steroids. Four were given caution for steroid related cases.
In the article of Metro News UK, Brake said that the dramatic increase in the number of children being admitted to hospitals for steroid misuse is extremely concerning. “It’s clear that many children feel increasingly pressured by society’s obsession with the perfect body and some are using steroids to try to deal with it.”
He said that its time for the Ministers to act on this problem since it s not only the problem that affects sports like bodybuilding but an issue for the whole society. “Anabolic steroids not only jeopardize the integrity of sport but pose serious health risks to those who misuse them. In the run up to the Olympics, the government needs to send a clear message by tackling those who are supplying these drugs and making possession without a prescription illegal,” he added.
[...] The pressure caused him to take anabolic steroids. Matt’s case will again add up to the increasing number of teens involved in taking steroids in the UK which already alarmed some [...]
[...] have already provided some information in our previous article on the increasing number of young athletes who uses steroids in United Kingdom. It even prompted some lawmakers to conduct investigations and propose new laws [...]