Beyond the Arena to Health Strains: Doping, Misinformation, and the Community Burden of Performance-Enhancing Substances

Abstract

Non-athletic global consumption of performance-enhancing substances (PES), generally in anabolic androgen steroids (AAS) or selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) and fat-dissolving drugs such as clenbuterol, is a broadening health issue far beyond the highest levels of sport. This paper recontextualizes doping as a complex public health issue, which is promoted by misinformation systems, poorly regulated online marketplaces, social media intervention, and regulatory gaps. Translating epidemiological data, toxicological investigations, and media coverage into its inferences, it shows how PES has become widespread among young people, females, and recreational fitness men and women populations and depicts specific trends of physiological harm, mental illness, and extremely high pressure on healthcare delivery systems. The paper also criticizes the moralization of the use of PES by stating that there should be a transition to a public health model that acknowledges structural vulnerabilities and information asymmetries. The necessity of addressing the issue through multi-tiered interventions can be supported by comparing it with other challenges related to public health, such as opioid and tobacco use. They are intercontinental policy transformations, the control of digital platforms, educational prevention, gender-responsive outreach, and consumer authentication technologies. This paper has sought to help design a new discourse around the Doping phenomenon, one that will promote informed, fair, and prevention methods to a health pandemic that continues to escalate.