It is thought that most people who regularly use, or are considering using performance drugs, which are illegal to supply, but not possess, are not fully aware of the possible side effects associated with them. These include increased risk of heart disease, mood disorders, infertility, high blood pressure and severe acne.
Estimates put the value of the UK fitness industry at over £4 billion…and it’s showing no signs of slowing as that figure is expected to grow. A report in 2014 suggested year on year increases of 3.9% in value.
Despite these growth figures, the overall health and well-being of the nation seems not to be improving, in fact, it is getting worse. The UK currently tops the EU’s ‘obesity league table’, and leaving the EU won’t change this!
This measure, which many of us will be familiar, uses weight and height to give a numerical value to state if someone is underweight, normal, overweight or obese. Even then, Keys suggested that that while the measure was not fully satisfactory, it was ‘at least as good as any other relative weight index as an indicator of relative obesity’. Despite these early reservations, it is still used as the principle method of diagnosing obesity.