Srinagar: With growing mania for supplements among youngsters in their quest for perfect physique, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today warned against their use as they pose serious health risks.
President DAK Dr Nisar ul Hassan in a statement issued here said that bodybuilding supplements contain dangerous ingredients such as steroids, stimulants and hormones that can cause serious health consequences and even death. These prohibited substances are not always listed on the supplement ingredient label.
Unlike prescription medicines, supplements do not require to undergo safety testing before reaching store shelves.Teens and school-going children are particularly vulnerable and they get them in gyms and buy them with ease from stores and online, he said.
Anabolic steroids are given by gym owners to teenagers and they are particularly dangerous as they cause heart damage, impotence, infertility, liver damage and even trigger off cancer. Why proteins which has become increasingly popular among fitness buffs can cause liver and kidney failure and increase aggression.
A 2010 consumer reports investigation found that protein drinks, if consumed frequently, expose people to potentially toxic levels of Arsenic, Cadmium, Mercury and lead. According to a study in Yale University, men who reported using body building supplements with Creatine and Androstenedione had higher chances of testicular cancer.
Fat burners like Black Mamba contain deadly banned substance like ephedra which cause heart attack, stroke and death. Consumers have died and it is impossible to know how many. Victims are vastly undercounted because doctors dont always know what their patients are taking, he said.
Patients choose not to discuss supplements with their doctors. False claims of these products being natural and safe play part in this breakdown communication. People mistakenly view supplements as a quick fix to achieve pumped-up physique, he said.
The scientific evidence of effectiveness of most supplements is nonexistent. This is a serious public health issue. We need to educate parents and teachers.
We need to educate children in schools about the danger of these supplements. With no regulations in place, JK is flooded with these risky products putting lives of people at risk, he added. (GNS)
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