Anabolic steroids ‘booming’ in Switzerland

Not everyone opts for steroids when training, but the SonntagsBlick report suggests their usage is rising (symbolic image) © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

More than 200,000 people in Switzerland have taken banned anabolic steroids in Switzerland during their lifetimes – and the number is rising, SonntagsBlick has revealed.

The numbers come from a study by the Zurich-based Centre for Addiction Medicine Arud. The study also found that around three-quarters of anabolic products are counterfeit: they either contain different ingredients than stated on the label or are not correctly dosed. Sourced from dealers or the internet, some products even contain substances from veterinary medicine, or illegal substances, which are sold on the black market, the newspaper said.External link

“Images of the ideal body are being spread across social networks. Young people compare themselves to those who take anabolic steroids. They want to look like this too and reach for steroids. This creates a spiral,” said Philip Bruggmann, the professor who led the study, told SonntagsBlick.

People are often unaware of the side effects, which can include heart problems and an increased stroke risk, Bruggmann said.

Lucrative

The anabolic steroid market is a highly lucrative one for criminal networks, the newspaper continued. This is confirmed by Jonas Personeni, from the Swiss Sport Integrity (SSI) foundation. “The banned doping substances mainly come from Eastern Europe as well as Asian countries,” he told SonntagsBlick.

The SSI works with the justice authorities and examines confiscated substances.

In recent years, the number of imports of anabolic steroids has increased, which indicates that there is a trend towards people using these products, SonntagsBlick said.