'Town in grip of muscle mania'

Young men putting their health at risk, report finds

September 17, 2006

Luton youngsters trying to get the 'ripped' look of magazine muscle men are increasingly turning to dangerous steroids as a short cut, a major study has found.

And fitness experts in town say few users understand the risks to their health as they pursue the ideal image.

The research into drug use in the UK published this week in the magazine Drugslink stated the misuse of anabolic steroids is becoming mainstream in Luton.

Young men, particularly among the town's Asian community, are turning to the drugs to boost self-confidence and body image and drug workers have reported that the steroids are now a significant part of the local drugs market.

Martin Barnes of DrugScope, the charity that carried out the research, said: "The rise in the number of young men misusing steroids is extremely worrying and seems to be in response to a growing obsession with the ideal body image.

"There are serious risks associated with steroid misuse, but people may ignore the dangers or not seek help because they do not consider themselves drug users."

The charity said anabolic steroids, traditionally used by elite athletes and bodybuilders, had emerged this year as a key player on the UK drug scene.

The change was particularly noticeable as drug workers were seeing young professionals, building site workers and students, aged between 16 to 25, using steroids just to give themselves better-looking bodies.