RFU commissions survey on teenage supplement and drug use

Nutritional supplement use is becoming an ongoing problem in the field of professional sport. Photograph: Cheryl Frazier/Corbis
The Rugby Football Union is launching an academic study involving up to 1,000 teenagers in an effort to uncover the truth about the scale of doping and supplement use among young players.

As the size and weight of players have increased in the professional era, fears that young players striving to break into Premiership academies and the national setup may be tempted to use steroids have grown.

At the same time, societal trends and a greater emphasis among teenage boys on body image and bulking up via nutritional supplements have led to fears that strength is being prioritised over skill, leading the RFU to commission an independent academic study from researchers at Leeds Beckett University……………… see nore at :- http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/nov/12/rfu-survey-supplement-drug-use