The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has issued a warning following reports that a number of fitness centres are promoting and selling unlicensed hormones and steroids to gym-goers.
The ministry said in a statement that it will confiscate all prohibited products, adding that banned products were seized for examination at the MoHAP’s Quality Control and Research Laboratory for Medical Products.
“Such products may contain banned steroids or synthetic hormones relating to testosterone. They also may cause dire health consequences on liver and kidney,” said MoHAP.
The ministry, after having been notified that some fitness instructors and trainers direct the gym-goers to use oral or injectable steroids to enhance their performance, said it has intensified its monitoring at those gyms.
“These fitness centres or gyms are unaware or pretending to be inattentive to the negative impacts of these drugs on the health of young people, especially in light of the tough competition between fitness and bodybuilding centers to attract the largest number of members,” added MoHAP.
Dr Hessa Mubarak, director of Health Empowerment and Compliance Department, said: “These substances can be dangerous and cause serious health risks, including serious liver and kidney diseases, especially there’s no control over storage conditions which leads to their damage.
“In addition, they cause serious side effects such as severe acne, hair loss, increased aggressiveness and depression, and cause life-threatening reactions such as kidney damage, heart attacks, stroke and pulmonary embolism, and deep vein thrombosis,” Mubarak added.
Follow us on
