Countries adopt different attitudes towards anabolic steroids – 11/15/2023 – Balance and Health

In the world of bodybuilding, it is not always easy to know when a body designed by muscles is the result of just good nutrition and training or is also influenced by the use of anabolic steroids. This is how YouTuber Rodrigo Góes went viral with the “fake natty” meme [natural falso] analyzing bodybuilding competitors.

Ramon Dino, a Brazilian who last week won second runner-up in the Mr.Olympia — bodybuilding world cup — said in an interview with Sheet that “every athlete, to achieve that performance, has to use anabolic steroids as an aid”.

Common in gyms, the medical prescription of hormonal therapies with androgenic and anabolic steroids (AAS) for aesthetic purposes and to gain muscle mass was banned by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) in April.

The country is among those with the highest prevalence of androgen abuse in the world. According to research published on the medical journal portal PubMed, countries from Europe and the Middle East, as well as Australia, New Zealand and the United States, join it. The rate is lower in countries in Africa and Asia.

In the USA, where Mr.Olympia is organized, anabolic steroids are considered Class III under the Controlled Substances law. The FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) assigns devices with the lowest risk profile to Class I and those with the highest risk to Class III.

In the American country, only a small number of anabolic steroids are approved for human or veterinary use. Steroids may be prescribed by a licensed physician for the treatment of testosterone deficiency, delayed puberty, low red blood cell counts, breast cancer, and tissue loss resulting from HIV/AIDS infection.

But the FDA does not approve indications for use by athletes at all levels of sports, such as bodybuilding, weightlifting, baseball, football, cycling, wrestling and many others that aim to improve their performance.

In general, the use is not illegal in any country, but it is not officially indicated in any, says endocrinologist Ricardo Barroso, director of Sbem/SP (Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Regional Metabology São Paulo).

“Most of the time, anabolic steroids are used in bodybuilding on the black market, with purchases in gym locker rooms. But, in recent years, medical prescriptions for aesthetic use have been growing,” says Barroso.

In Europe, anabolic steroids are classified as Pieds (performance and image enhancing drugs). Its use is predominantly found among professional and amateur athletes, including fitness and bodybuilding enthusiasts, according to the EMCDDA (European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction), a decentralized body of the European Union.

Each member state of the European Union has its own regulations, but several apply strategies to prevent use.

Examples of practices include Sweden’s program that aims to reduce the use of Pieds (100% Pure Hard Training) among recreational gym-goers. Furthermore, the international project Erasmus+ Sport —Doping E-learning Tools (Delts) seeks to improve prevention and health education about anabolic steroids.

In Norway, to complement the structured drug treatment system and overcome barriers to engagement, a telephone support service was developed that also operates on social media.

According to the observatory, some countries provide guidance on the availability of needles and syringes for people who inject steroids. However, there is little evidence of the effectiveness of these programs.

In the United Kingdom, possession of steroids is not a crime, but their sale or distribution is, where they are included in drug laws as Class C substances — a category of controlled drugs considered to be of less danger to police and campaigners. harm awareness.

According to the EMCDDA, the lifetime prevalence of anabolic steroid use in Europe was estimated at 3.8%, one of the highest globally. According to Sbem, the prevalence rate worldwide is 3.3% — 6.4% in men and 1.6% in women.