0:00:08 > 0:00:11The way people chase the dream of their perfect body is changing.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14The pressure men are now facing is similar to what women have had
0:00:14 > 0:00:16to deal with the decades.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Diets, workouts, days spent in the gym, and for many,
0:00:20 > 0:00:21young men especially, anabolic steroids are
0:00:21 > 0:00:24being increasingly used to help achieve that dream.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28In this film, I'm going to find out from one user why he takes them,
0:00:28 > 0:00:31and put him through a series of tests to see what damage, if any,
0:00:31 > 0:00:35they've done to his body.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37I'll hear from the experts, look at the law surrounding
0:00:37 > 0:00:40steroid use in the UK, and speak to a dealer
0:00:40 > 0:00:50about why he does it.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Gareth Jenkins, who is 29 and lives just outside of Cardiff,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57is one of the estimated hundreds of thousands of people
0:00:57 > 0:01:02who regularly take anabolic steroids to build muscle.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Been using steroids for about four, five years.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07When you train naturally, which I have done for a number
0:01:07 > 0:01:09of years before using steroids, you tire quicker, you ache more,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12and obviously when you use the performance enhancing drug,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14which is the steroid, you don't have the muscle soreness
0:01:14 > 0:01:16anywhere near as much.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19I feel more awake, I feel better in myself, I feel more manly,
0:01:20 > 0:01:21I've got a higher sex drive.
0:01:21 > 0:01:29There are some serious potential risks you're running,
0:01:29 > 0:01:30from a medical perspective, about using steroids,
0:01:30 > 0:01:32things like increased risk of heart attacks,
0:01:32 > 0:01:42increased risk of strokes, mood swings, infertility.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Do those things not worry you?
0:01:46 > 0:01:49The way that I look at it is, yes, they do bother me, obviously,
0:01:49 > 0:01:50but like everything...
0:01:50 > 0:01:52So you're aware of the risks?
0:01:52 > 0:01:54I'm fully aware, yeah, I've done my research to see
0:01:54 > 0:02:01what harm they would have on me, or potential harm they would have
0:02:01 > 0:02:04But the fact of the matter is, in terms of the risks,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07everything that we do in life now carries a risk of heart attack,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10cancer, whatever it is, so whatever it is, I'm going to get
0:02:10 > 0:02:13those risks anyway, so I choose not to do certain things, and I choose
0:02:13 > 0:02:15this as my lifestyle instead.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17So as I don't go out drinking and smoking, I take steroids.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Steroids can cause health problems because they create an imbalance
0:02:20 > 0:02:22of hormones in the body which can damage many organs,
0:02:22 > 0:02:23but especially the heart.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25Gareth says he tries to minimise any risks
0:02:25 > 0:02:28by taking his steroids in cycles, like 16 weeks on and
0:02:28 > 0:02:29then eight weeks off.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32There's two types of steroids, one that comes in liquid form,
0:02:32 > 0:02:33which is an intramuscular injection, that's this type.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35So you inject it into yourself?
0:02:35 > 0:02:38I would inject this directly into a muscle two times a week.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Then the other type is a tablet form.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43When I'm using this type of steroid, I would use five a day for seven
0:02:43 > 0:02:45days, so basically five a day every day.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48So over the course of a period of around six months,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50when you're on steroids for that long, roughly how much do
0:02:50 > 0:02:52you think you spend on them?
0:02:52 > 0:02:54A rough guesstimate, probably with the cycle itself
0:02:54 > 0:02:55and the post-course treatment, round about £500.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57That's a lot of money.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00It is, it's probably a lot less in six months than somebody
0:03:00 > 0:03:01who spends on drinking on the weekend.
0:03:01 > 0:03:02Worth it, do you think?
0:03:02 > 0:03:03For me, personally, yeah.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06When it comes to the law on anabolic steroids,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09it is legal to use them and legal to possess them right across the UK.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12What is illegal, though, is supplying them,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15unless you're a doctor, and that means selling them or just
0:03:15 > 0:03:16passing them on for free.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18If caught, you could face up to 14 years in prison.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Because Gareth's only using steroids, not supplying them,
0:03:20 > 0:03:27he's not in any trouble with the law.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29It could be a different story with his health, though,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33so later this week he's agreed to go to London for a series of tests that
0:03:33 > 0:03:39will find out what damage, if any, he's done to his heart.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42We need to be quite quiet, because I need to keep...
0:03:42 > 0:03:43Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:03:43 > 0:03:44..keep your throat still.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I basically started working out because I was bullied
0:03:47 > 0:03:49when I was younger for being small and basically just the feral
0:03:49 > 0:03:51child at the school.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53So I just ended up locking myself away in a gym,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55training and getting bigger and getting stronger,
0:03:55 > 0:03:56and getting inked.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00It all sort of fell into one big procedure that I seem to be doing,
0:04:00 > 0:04:08and a lifestyle that I lead, pretty much.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10In the middle here is not nice.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15The rest isn't too bad.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17So, going down to London to have all those tests done,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20which I'm excited about, to be honest with you,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22yet slightly nervous because obviously it could come back
0:04:22 > 0:04:24and say there's something significantly wrong and if I don't
0:04:24 > 0:04:25change my lifestyle then...
0:04:25 > 0:04:30Obviously I could have health issues.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34My prediction is that I think I'd be pretty stupid or naive to think
0:04:34 > 0:04:41that my heart wouldn't have changed.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44You know, four, five years of use of any performance-enhancing drug
0:04:44 > 0:04:47that's anabolic is going to have that effect, so I think if it hasn't
0:04:47 > 0:04:57then what I've been taking is fake and I've done it naturally.
0:05:00 > 0:05:01So...!
0:05:01 > 0:05:04And obviously if it is significant, then there would be absolutely no
0:05:04 > 0:05:06doubt in my mind that I would change my
0:05:06 > 0:05:07lifestyle overnight.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Whether people use or abuse anabolic steroids is a matter of opinion.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13For some in the medical world, if steroids aren't prescribed
0:05:13 > 0:05:17by a doctor, then it is simple - taking them is abuse.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Many people who research dosages and try to minimise the risks,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22though, would say they don't abuse them, but instead use them.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25One thing that is widely agreed on, though, is that the issue is now
0:05:25 > 0:05:33affecting more people than ever before.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35We don't know the exact number of anabolic steroid users
0:05:35 > 0:05:38there are, but it certainly measures in the hundreds of thousands.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40We're seeing now a different population of users.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42While we still have people who are using for the purpose
0:05:42 > 0:05:45of body-building, we are seeing a new population of predominantly
0:05:45 > 0:05:48young males but also quite older males as well who are using purely
0:05:48 > 0:05:56for cosmetic purposes.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59There's a number of pressures on young men and most of these
0:05:59 > 0:06:06pressures weren't around a generation ago.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08These are things like social media, mainstream advertising.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11If ever you see a male with their shirt off, the chances
0:06:11 > 0:06:13are they will have quite a well-defined physique.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Again, males may not be geared up to dealing with this.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19This is something that women have had to deal
0:06:19 > 0:06:20with for generations, but this is quite
0:06:20 > 0:06:25a new thing for men.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27For Gareth, he's about to undergo a series of tests that
0:06:27 > 0:06:30will check what damage, if any, he's done to his heart.
0:06:30 > 0:06:40The person in charge is cardiology doctor Anil Malhotra.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45We're going to do three tests today, the first is to look
0:06:45 > 0:06:47at the electrical activity of the heart.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49The second is to look at the heart muscle itself,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52and the third to actually exercise your heart and we'll
0:06:52 > 0:06:53see how you perform.
0:06:53 > 0:06:54Right, okey-dokey.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55Is that all right?
0:06:55 > 0:06:56Not a problem.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58NHS guidelines say that by taking anabolic steroids,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Gareth's risking side effects like infidelity, mood swings,
0:07:00 > 0:07:07and even heart attacks and strokes.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09This is the sound of the blood flowing across
0:07:09 > 0:07:10the valves of your heart.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13We're just assessing how quickly the blood flows through that valve,
0:07:13 > 0:07:15and we're able to see whether there's any
0:07:15 > 0:07:17narrowing of the valve or any leakages as well.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19I suspect that they will show some form of thickness
0:07:19 > 0:07:21or abnormality to the heart.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23It's bound to have changed in some way after four
0:07:23 > 0:07:33or five years of taking a performance-enhancing drug.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39The British Cardiovascular ociety says tens of thousands of people
0:07:39 > 0:07:42could be putting themselves at increased risk of the most
0:07:42 > 0:07:43serious side-effects by taking anabolic steroids.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46I'm cycling towards a cheesecake.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48And I'll get there, I'll get there!
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Billionaire's cheesecake on the horizon!
0:07:50 > 0:07:55Let's get there.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58After pushing himself to the limit, Gareth will be able to find out
0:07:58 > 0:08:00how his heart performs and what affect his
0:08:00 > 0:08:03steroid use has had.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06With hundreds of thousands of people now thought to be taking steroids
0:08:06 > 0:08:08every year right across the UK, clearly they are getting
0:08:08 > 0:08:18them from somewhere.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21But Government figures show that, for the whole of 2015 and 2016
0:08:21 > 0:08:23right across England and Wales, there were just 25 convictions
0:08:23 > 0:08:26related to the legal supply of steroids, and just seven of those
0:08:26 > 0:08:28ended with a prison sentence.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30So, for this man, who spoke on condition of anonymity,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32the law hasn't come close to stopping him from dealing.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35We know you supply steroids, we know you are a steroid dealer,
0:08:35 > 0:08:42obviously it is illegal, you are breaking the law.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44A lot of people would say you are putting people's
0:08:44 > 0:08:46lives, their health, certainly, at risk.
0:08:46 > 0:08:47What do you say for that?
0:08:47 > 0:08:50To start off with the health risks, I think steroids are readily
0:08:50 > 0:08:53available to anyone who wants to access them at the moment.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55I like to see myself more as someone who provides information,
0:08:55 > 0:09:05to ensure people can do it safely.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13People are going to use them regardless of whether they buy them
0:09:13 > 0:09:16from me or from an unknown source online, but if they can
0:09:16 > 0:09:19talk to me about it, how to inject themselves safely
0:09:19 > 0:09:22or look at doses, or if I can help them, even if not to take steroids
0:09:22 > 0:09:25if I don't think it's appropriate for them, then I will.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27That's the reason I'm involved in it.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Who are the types of people getting them from you, who's coming
0:09:30 > 0:09:31to you for the steroids?
0:09:31 > 0:09:33There's a very broad spectrum of people who use steroids.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Ranging from young guys at 18 years old, 19,
0:09:35 > 0:09:3820, just starting out, training, looking to bulk up
0:09:38 > 0:09:47for maybe a summer holiday or just to look good for...
0:09:47 > 0:09:48For a summer holiday?
0:09:48 > 0:09:51For a summer holiday, or they just want to attract the girls,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54they want to go out on a night out and attract the girls.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57These are the guys that are less aware, so these are the guys that
0:09:57 > 0:10:00you have to be more informative when you talk to them about it,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03make them more aware of the risks and the dangers.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05What about the health of the people who you are
0:10:05 > 0:10:06supplying these drugs to?
0:10:06 > 0:10:09They can say things like infertility, they can face mood
0:10:09 > 0:10:11swings, they can face getting strokes decades earlier
0:10:11 > 0:10:12than the average, heart attacks.
0:10:12 > 0:10:13It's illegal for a reason.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14Yeah.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17But I don't agree with it being illegal, because I'll tell
0:10:17 > 0:10:18you that doctors prescribe testosterone to people,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20so if there's a reason...
0:10:20 > 0:10:21You're not a doctor.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23No, no, I'm saying that doctors prescribe it, so steroids,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26or testosterone in this example, if it was killing people
0:10:26 > 0:10:28left, right and centre, they wouldn't prescribe it.
0:10:28 > 0:10:29And I think the media sensationalises it.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32And I'm going to tell you now, there's people that abuse steroids,
0:10:32 > 0:10:38and they do damage their health, but that's their choice.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41One man who is all too aware of the risks of taking steroids he's
0:10:41 > 0:10:44got on the black market is Gareth.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46And, after using them for nearly five years,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48he's about to find out the effect they've had on his heart.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49Do take a seat.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51We can go over your results.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53I've got your ECG tracing, your Echo report and other reports
0:10:54 > 0:11:02from the exercise test as well.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06What it shows is that your heart is working well, and that's,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09and you've come through your exercise test well as well.
0:11:09 > 0:11:10Yeah.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13But we do think that you are at the upper limit of normal
0:11:13 > 0:11:16in terms of the wall thickness of your heart, so that is most
0:11:16 > 0:11:26likely due to your weightlifting and your steroid use.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40You are still young and you've not been using steroids for that long,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43but if one does continue to do so then you are putting yourself
0:11:43 > 0:11:46at increased risk of heart attacks and potentially strokes as well.
0:11:46 > 0:11:47Yeah.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Steroid usage does have a variety of bad effects on the heart.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52I class myself as quite a sensible person, taking my own health
0:11:52 > 0:11:56into account that it would just be sensible, being the keyword, to not
0:11:56 > 0:11:58push that boundary to the point where something isn't reversible.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59So not keep using steroids?
0:11:59 > 0:12:00Not keep using steroids, yeah.
0:12:00 > 0:12:01All for the better.
0:12:01 > 0:12:02Cheaper, too.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04HE LAUGHS.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06It looks like Gareth's steroid days might be numbered,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08but he's just one of hundreds of thousands of users.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Dealers are unlikely to get caught, the number of convictions for supply
0:12:11 > 0:12:13is low, and doctors want change, worried about potential long-term
0:12:13 > 0:12:14health problems for users.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16So, is change on the way?
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Well, we do know that the group that advises the Government on drugs
0:12:19 > 0:12:29misuse is in the middle of a big review into steroids.
0:12:35 > 0:12:42We don't know yet what it's going to say.