Steroid users: 30-year-old white guys

Tampa, Fla. -- Most non-medical anabolic-androgenic steroid users are not athletes or teens -- they are white-collar men seeking a better physique, a U.S. study found.

A Web-based survey of almost 2,000 U.S. males, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, found the typical male steroid user is about age 30, well-educated and earning an above-average income in a white-collar occupation.

The majority did not use steroids during adolescence and were not motivated by athletic competition or sports performance, but professional men who want to increase muscle mass, strength and physical attractiveness, said study leader Jason Cohen, a doctoral student.

The survey also found that other significant but less highly-ranked factors included increased confidence, decreased fat, improved mood and attraction of sexual partners.

These steroid users follow carefully planned drug regimens in conjunction with a healthy diet, ancillary drugs and exercise, and -- as opposed to the spontaneous and haphazard approach seen in abusers of psychotropic drugs -- everything is strategically planned to maximize benefits and minimize harm, one of the study authors, Jack Darkes, of the University of South Florida, in Tampa, said.

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