KOCHI: Following the arrest of a 27-year-old gym trainer with steroids worth over Rs 10 lakh on Thursday, shadow police have begun a crackdown on illegal sale of steroid to body builders in the city.Officials said the misuse of steroids has been rampant among body builders in the city and the arrest was made after receiving a tip-off from senior gym trainers.TOI spoke to a few personal trainers who confirmed the use of these drugs. They said among the commonly used drugs were Stanozolol, a man-made steroid, similar to the naturally occurring testosterone , and Deca Durabolin.Interestingly, Stanozolol was the steroid used by Ben Johnson in the 1988 Olympics, leading to his disqualification.Bodybuilders use the drugs to build muscles and to bulk up. Improving endurance and strength is another aim.Trainers said growth hormone (GH) and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1) were among the high-end hormonal intake that body-builders use, which have comparatively lesser side effects.However, some drugs like Synthol are also being used in the city and if used in high doses they could have disastrous effects, they said.Shadow police said they are planning on targeting the peddlers first as part of the crackdown. “The use of steroid doesn’t fall under the NDPS (Narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances) Act. Hence, we hand over those involved to the drug controller after nabbing them. The drug controller then registers cases against them. Now, our aim is to catch those who illegally sell these drugs. We are not focusing on consumers as of now,” said Shadow SI, AB Vibin.Bodybuilders, however, said there was a general misconception that body builders rely entirely on steroids for building a perfect physique. “When we gear up for a bodybuilding show we put in a lot of dedication and hard work. I used to consume half a kilo of beef and chicken each every day for over a month, over and above the intake of egg whites. Despite following such an extraordinary diet, we still require additional supplements or steroids to maintain our physique,” said a former Mr Ernakulam winner on condition of anonymity.He added that a proper diet could help ‘balance’ the side effects of using the steroids. “The side effects often start appearing a few months after you take an injection or a tablet. We take vitamin tablets and maintain a healthy diet to reduce the risk of using the steroids,” said the personal trainer.Dr Suja Kumar, Endocrinologist with Sunrise Hospital, however, said the side effects of taking steroids depend on dosage and the time period of usage.“We advise medical consultation before the use of steroids. In case of having side effects, medical assistance should be taken,” she said.Dr Bipin Theruvil said anyone who plans to use health supplements should consult a doctor or at least check online for the side effects.“Even products like protein powder might have steroid content in them,” he said.A patient once sustained tears in tendons at his shoulder due to use of steroids, he said, adding that abuse of steroids could also affect blood circulation in the hips, which could even require hip replacement.

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