Clean Sport Week is UK Anti-Doping’s annual campaign bringing together sporting organisations, athletes, coaches and communities across the country to celebrate fair play and champion drug-free sport. Active is joining UK Anti-Doping and CIMPSA – the professional development body for the sport and physical sector workforce – by showing our support for the campaign.
This year’s theme is ‘Built not bought. 100% me.’ It’s a simple message to every athlete at every level. Lasting success comes from hard work, talent and dedication. It can’t be bought and it shouldn’t be risked.
Gym-goers and young athletes are increasingly being exposed to misleading content online about Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs) including Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs). SARMs are advertised heavily across social media and claim to act like steroids, but without any side effects.
Don’t be fooled.
What you should know about SARMs
SARMs are unsafe and carry risks similar to, or worse than, anabolic steroids.
SARMs are unapproved experimental drugs, originally developed for medical research. They are not licensed for human use and are illegal to sell as supplements in many countries, including the UK and Jersey. Despite this, they are widely sold online with little quality control, meaning users often don’t know what - or how much - they are actually taking.
The health risks from SARMs are significant. SARMs have been linked to liver damage, sometimes severe, as well as suppression of natural testosterone production, which can lead to fatigue, low mood, reduced libido, and long‑term hormonal problems. Cardiovascular risks are also a concern, including changes to cholesterol that increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. Users have reported mood changes, anxiety, and aggression, alongside joint and tendon injuries.
From a sport and fitness perspective, SARMs are banned by the World Anti‑Doping Agency, meaning use can result in failed drug tests and lengthy bans, even at recreational level.
There is no shortcut to sustainable strength or health. Consistent training, good nutrition, recovery, and rest remain the safest and most effective way to make progress in the gym.
If you are using, or having recently used, SARMs we would recommend speaking to a GP or pharmacist for a cholesterol and cardio check-up. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms of liver damage, contact your GP urgently: jaundice (yellowing of skin and whites of eyes), abdominal swelling and pain, ongoing fatigue and weakness.
