Bhubaneswar, May 12: The growing obsession with fitness and bodybuilding has brought a disturbing trend into city gyms unsupervised steroid and supplement usage. Trainers, under the guise of improving results, are reportedly encouraging or even selling anabolic steroids to young fitness enthusiasts, putting their health at serious risk.

Many gym-goers report hearing phrases like, “You are working hard but not seeing results,” repeatedly from trainers, creating frustration and prompting them to seek quick fixes. Unscrupulous trainers exploit this psychological pressure to market steroids and supplements, often without any medical supervision.

While steroids can initially deliver rapid muscle growth and enhanced performance, medical experts warn that their misuse can have devastating long-term effects. Professor Jayant Kumar Panda, a senior medical specialist, explained that the human body naturally produces only 35–40 mg of testosterone per week. Steroid abuse can increase this to 300 mg weekly, resulting in fast muscle gain but severely disrupting hormonal balance.

Commonly abused steroids such as Anabolic, Sustenon, Dianabol, Anavar, and Winstrol are widely available in gyms in injectable and tablet forms. Despite being illegal or requiring prescription in many countries, these drugs are easily obtained in local gyms, raising red flags for health authorities.

The health risks of unsupervised steroid use are severe and include heart disease, liver damage, hormonal imbalance, and long-term systemic harm. “Using steroids without guidance can endanger your life. They may give immediate results, but the side effects are often irreversible,” warned Professor Panda.

City health authorities, including Dr. Nrupendu Satapathy, have expressed concerns over the administration’s lack of oversight in gyms. While fitness has become a priority post-pandemic, authorities urge gym-goers to prioritize natural exercise and diet over shortcuts like steroids or unregulated supplements. Periodic inspections and stricter regulations are recommended to curb the rising misuse of these substances.

Experts emphasize: exercise is essential, but shortcuts via steroids can jeopardize health, negate the benefits of training, and even threaten life.