Quest for the body beautiful that can cause serious harm

Britain, UK news from The Times and The Sunday Times - Times Online: "HUNDREDS of Britons are turning to dangerous growth hormones to keep up with society’s obsession with having the perfect physique, according to doctors.

Specialists are reporting a dramatic rise in the use of human growth hormone (HGH), a fast-acting chemical commonly used by bodybuilders and other people wanting to build up muscle or self-esteem.

Increased use of the drugs, which carry serious health risks including heart failure, has been attributed to cheap imports from China and the US flooding the market.

HGH is produced naturally in the pituitary gland to stimulate growth through protein synthesis. It also regenerates muscle, repairs tissue, strengthens bones, cuts fat and supplies energy.

Taking growth hormone, which is a prescription drug, is not against the law, but it is illegal to distribute it.

However, senior police and customs sources told The Times that extensive investigations into Class-A drugs, such as cocaine, had left neither the money nor the manpower to stem the trade in HGH.

In one needle exchange in Merseyside and Cheshire alone, half the syringes are being used for steroids and growth hormones and half for heroin, according to Pat Lenehan, a steroids expert who started the Drugs and Sport Information Service. Rob Dawson, who runs an advisory clinic specialising in performance-enhancing drugs, said that the use of HGH had “gone ballistic” in the past four months.

At £30 for a four-unit dose, normally injected twice daily, HGH had proved too expensive for many people, but cheap imports have pushed down the cost to as little as £10 a day. It is not known what proportion of the drugs are fakes.

People are seemingly unaware of the risks attached, including acromegaly, in which soft tissue and internal organs become swollen and the brow and jaw grow abnormally large. In the worst cases, the condition causes causes diabetes and heart failure.

HGH is often preferred to some anabolic steroids, which have also grown in popularity in recent years, as it carries fewer visible side effects such as spots, excess hair, and puffy features. For people serious about the science of improving their physiques, it is also thought to be hyperplasic — meaning it creates new muscle fibre, as opposed to enhancing existing cells like most steroids.
Experts believe that the popularity of cosmetic treatments such as Botox, lip implants and liposuction have encouraged a more drastic pursuit of the perfect body, while dietary supplements such as creatine — which can add 6lb of muscle — have also drawn some people towards more serious drug use.

HGH is sold on the internet in forms including spray, liquid and pills — despite independent research suggesting that it is effective only if injected into the bloodstream. It is credited with being able to boost the immune system and increase adult height, which experts said defied all medical science. "