Experts issue stark warning over steroids as ‘silent killer’ cancer surges in healthy men
Health experts have warned that young men chasing the 'ideal' physique may be putting themselves at risk of developing certain cancers.
Spend any amount of time on the internet, and it's easy to feel self-conscious about your body, with trends such as 'looksmaxxing' and the broader manosphere promoting the muscled, heavily chiselled body type for young men.
And many are going to extreme lengths to achieve it, including the consumption of steroids.
Anabolic steroids are considered a controlled substance and are currently only available in the UK legally through a prescription. Steroid prescriptions are restricted to the treatment of conditions such as asthma, eczema and rheumatoid arthritis.
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They cannot be prescribed for cosmetic use of muscle enhancement, which makes up the majority of black market steroid sales.
Supplying, importing or exporting steroids without the correct license is illegal, resulting in up to 14 years in prison and an unlimited fine.
While figures on the number of Brits who use anabolic steroids for cosmetic purposes are hard to verify, the potential risks of doing so are not, with health experts warning that users face an increased risk of developing liver cancer.
Can steroid use cause liver damage?
Steroid-induced liver damage is linked to toxic hepatitis, a drug-induced liver injury. This is caused when the liver struggles to process and break down the drugs, leading to the organ becoming damaged.
Doctors are especially concerned about liver damage in young, otherwise healthy men who are taking steroids to improve their physical appearance, noting that it can be harder to spot damage to the liver earlier on.
"Over the past few years, I’ve seen a marked increase in men presenting with body dysmorphia and related steroid use," Dr Giedre Putelyte, a specialist doctor at Castle Craig, a rehab clinic in Edinburgh, told Sun Health.
"In practice, many of these men feel completely well, which is why the liver damage is so often missed," he continued.
"These are typically otherwise healthy, active men who don’t associate their steroid use with internal harm, particularly because the effects are silent at first.
"The concern is that by the time symptoms develop, the damage may already be advanced."
Meanwhile, Professor Stephen Wigmore referred to steroid usage as a 'silent killer', telling The Times that he'd seen treated patients who even refused to stop taking steroids after developing cancer.
Although cases remain 'very rare', Professor Wigmore said that men are often unaware of the risks associated with using steroids.
"They’re completely unaware that anabolic steroids can cause this sort of problem. I think people know about irritability and frontal balding and things like that, but they don’t know about the cancer risk," he said.
What are the symptoms of liver cancer?
According to the NHS, the key symptoms of liver cancer include:
- a lump in the right side of your tummy
- losing weight without trying to
- fatigue
- jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyeballs)
- feeling generally unwell.
Brenna Cooper