The plain position
Supplements and performance-enhancing drugs are not recommended for teenagers who train. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in its clinical report on the use of performance-enhancing substances, opposes their use by children and adolescents. That report covers both drugs such as anabolic steroids and products sold to improve performance or change how the body looks. This site recommends no supplement, product or brand.
The rest of this guide explains why, using what the FDA, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), MedlinePlus and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) publish about how supplements are regulated and what steroids do to the body.
None of this is about vitamins or other products a doctor has advised for a medical reason. That is a decision for the teen, their family and their doctor, and nothing here replaces it.
How supplements are regulated
In the United States, dietary supplements are not checked the way medicines are before they reach shops. The FDA explains that it does not have the authority to approve dietary supplements for safety or effectiveness, or to approve their labels, before they are sold. Under federal law it is the companies selling them that are responsible for making sure their products are safe. The FDA's role mainly begins after a product is on the market, through inspections, label reviews and reports of harm.
MedlinePlus puts the same point simply: supplements do not have to go through the testing that drugs do. USADA, which runs anti-doping programmes for U.S. sport, describes this as regulation after sale, and notes that a harmful or illegal product can stay on shelves for a long time before it is removed. Its conclusion is that no dietary supplement can be guaranteed to be completely free of risk.
The FDA adds two cautions that apply directly to teens. First, calling a product "natural" does not make it safe. Second, it advises being wary of hype: sound health advice usually rests on research built up over time, and if a claim sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Hidden ingredients
A label is not a guarantee of what is inside. USADA reports that some products sold as supplements, including bodybuilding products, have been found to contain anabolic steroids, selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) or other hormones, even though such products are not legally supplements at all. It also notes that people regularly overestimate both the benefits and the safety of supplements, and that the trust many athletes place in them is undeserved.
The FDA has also issued a warning about SARMs use among teens and young adults; MedlinePlus lists that warning among its resources on dietary supplements. SARMs are drug compounds, not nutrients, whatever the packaging says.
For a teen who plays school or club sport, there is a second risk: a contaminated product can contain a substance banned in their sport. USADA's guidance for athletes exists largely because of this.
Anabolic steroids
MedlinePlus explains that anabolic steroids are man-made versions of testosterone, the main male sex hormone. Doctors prescribe them for some medical conditions, such as certain hormone problems, delayed puberty and muscle loss from some diseases. Some athletes and bodybuilders misuse them to build muscle, sometimes at doses many times higher than medical doses. MedlinePlus states plainly that using them this way, without a prescription, is not legal or safe.
According to MedlinePlus and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), misuse, especially over a long time, has been linked with:
- Severe acne, oily skin and hair loss.
- High blood pressure, harmful changes in cholesterol, and heart problems, including heart attack. NIDA notes heart effects have been reported even in athletes younger than 30.
- Liver disease, including tumours, and kidney damage.
- Mood changes such as irritability and aggression.
- In males, shrinking of the testicles, low sperm count and breast growth.
- In females, changes to periods, growth of facial and body hair, and a deeper voice.
- Tendon injury.
MedlinePlus also notes that steroids can lead to addiction even though they do not cause a high. Withdrawal can bring tiredness, restlessness, sleep problems, cravings and depression, which can sometimes be serious.
Why teens are at particular risk
Two effects matter especially for teenagers. MedlinePlus lists stunted growth in teens among the health effects of steroid misuse, and NIDA explains why: steroids can signal the bones to stop growing too early, which NIDA lists as short stature when steroids are taken by adolescents.
NIDA also explains that steroid use in teens is of particular concern because the hormone systems steroids act on play a central part in brain development during these years. It reports research suggesting that teens who use steroids may be at greater risk of some effects on attention and impulse control than people who start as adults.
The AAP's parent page on strength training names the misuse of anabolic steroids to change physique as one of the risks connected with strength training. That is one more reason this site keeps the focus on health, strength and sport rather than appearance.
Worked example (illustrative only)
An invented example. A 17-year-old sees a video promising fast muscle gain from a powder bought online. The ingredient list includes a compound they do not recognise. Checking what the FDA and USADA say, they learn that supplements are not approved before sale and that some bodybuilding products have contained steroids or SARMs. They decide not to buy it and raise the question with their doctor at their next appointment. This describes no real person or product.
Reading the marketing
Teens see a lot of advertising for muscle products, much of it online. Some questions help put that marketing in context:
- Is the person promoting this selling it, or paid to promote it?
- Does the claim promise fast or dramatic change? The FDA's advice is that claims that sound too good to be true probably are.
- Does the product say "natural" as if that meant safe? The FDA says it does not.
- Has a doctor, rather than a coach, a friend or an advert, suggested it for a medical reason?
None of the bodies cited here says a teenager needs any product to get stronger. They point instead to supervised training, enough sleep and everyday food, which are covered in the earlier guides.
If someone is already using something
Some teens reading this will already be taking a supplement or another product. The FDA and MedlinePlus both advise telling a health care provider about any supplement being used. A doctor can give advice that fits the person, which this site cannot. Being honest with a doctor about exactly what has been taken, including anything bought online, helps them help.
The FDA's advice for anyone who has a bad reaction to a supplement is to stop using it, get medical care or advice, and report the problem to the FDA. For anabolic steroids, MedlinePlus notes that behavioural therapy and medicines can help people who have become dependent; a doctor is the starting point. If someone feels very low or has thoughts of harming themselves, that is an emergency: contact local emergency services or a crisis line straight away.
Next: When to see a doctor