Tendency to Consume Anabolic Steroids and Body-Building Supplements in the General Population: An Ecological Study

Abstract

Background:  Anabolic steroids and bodybuilding supplements are products that are readily available in the market and are increasingly being used by young people and athletes. This trend has become a social issue worldwide. Objectives:  The purpose of this study is to examine and determine the changes in the prevalence and trends of anabolic steroid usage in Iran. Methods:  This ecological study utilized the Google Trends database as its primary source. Initially, we searched for specific keywords related to "anabolic steroids (AS)", "Body-building supplements (BBS)", and "COVID-19" among all searches conducted using GTs from January 2017 to December 2022. Subsequently, Spearman's correlation coefficient was employed to assess the association between the keywords "AS" and "BBS" with the term "COVID-19" during various years. Results:  The preference for consuming protein (58.19 ± 15.24) was highest among BBS, while recovery (12.14 ± 17.09) was the lowest. In the case of AS, the highest search frequency was related to Testosterone (56.64 ± 9.57), while the lowest was related to Primobolan (13.72 ± 8.21). In early 2020, we observed a significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the inclination to use BBS and AS, leading to a substantial decrease in willingness to use. However, we did not observe a statistically significant correlation between keyword searches for COVID-19 and AS & BBS. Conclusions:  The trend of AS and BBS usage in Iran is on the rise. The indiscriminate use of supplements is a cause for concern and calls for educational interventions.