Spiralling anabolic steroid use leaves UK facing health timebomb, experts warn

Image-obsessed young males use drug to build muscle but growing health toll includes HIV infection rate equal to that of heroin users

Britain is experiencing an epidemic of anabolic steroid use among image-obsessed young men, according to experts, who warn the country faces a health timebomb from a problem which is significantly underrepresented in official statistics.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates that just under 60,000 people a year take the drugs, which mimic the effects of testosterone and boost muscle growth. But people who work with steroid users say the real figure could be many times greater, with the vast majority of users injecting the drugs and many doing so at gyms.

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