Drawing on the ESPAD®Italia surveys of 93,437 Italian high-school students (aged 15–19, 2017–2023), we examined trends in anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use. In this study, we evidenced that lifetime prevalence was 1.9% and current use 0.8%, but the key finding is the trend: after falling from 2.4% (2017) to 1.2% (2021), AAS use rose sharply to 3.3% by 2023. Use was most frequent among males and adolescents not disclosing their gender, and clustered with a clear risk profile, higher BMI, intense competitive sport, and use of slimming substances, supplements, and energy drinks, pointing to body-image motivations. It also co-occurred with other addictive behaviours (smoking, cannabis, alcohol, gambling) and with markers of poor well-being. We conclude that AAS use is re-emerging among Italian teenagers, concentrated in the most vulnerable groups, and that targeted prevention in schools and online is urgently needed.

In two recent contributions to the prestigious Journal of Behavioral Addictions, we reframe the use of Image and Performance-Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs) as a problem at the intersection of body image and behavioural addiction. In the review, we argue that digitalisation and intensifying socio-cultural pressures around body ideals are driving IPED use, with body dissatisfaction, muscularity-oriented concerns, and distorted self-perception, amplified by digital media, as key drivers; and we highlight a critical gap, namely that IPED use, though well linked to body-image and eating-related problems, has rarely been examined as a behavioural addiction, despite being used to shape the body, regulate mood, and enhance cognition and performance in ways that may become compulsive. 

In the companion multinational study, we trace a pathway from social media to body-image distress across nine countries, showing how problematic internet use, compulsive exercise, and IPED use together predict appearance anxiety. Taken together, our findings establish IPED use as a behavioural-addiction concern in its own right, driven largely by body-image distress in the digital environment, and point to the need for prevention strategies that address appearance anxiety and compulsive behaviour alongside the substances themselves.

Thomas was invited as a guest on La Semana, RTVE's flagship programme hosted by renowned journalist Pepa Bueno, joining Elena García-Grimau in an episode titled "Jugando al dopaje" ("Playing at Doping"). Together, they discussed two issues shaping the future of sport: the 20th anniversary of Operación Puerto, one of cycling's defining doping scandals, and the rise of the Enhanced Games, a competition model that openly embraces performance-enhancing drugs and poses serious health risks for athletes. The conversation underscored the urgent need for education, prevention, and fresh communication strategies to keep the clean sport debate alive in the public sphere.

In this mini-review, published in the prestigious European Urology Focus, we argue that exercise prescription for ED requires a precision medicine approach that considers individual physiology, training status, genetic variants, and comorbidity profiles. Future research must move beyond heterogeneous protocols toward mechanistically-driven, personalized interventions that optimize vascular, hormonal, and molecular adaptations while minimizing potential adverse effects in specific populations.

We are thrilled to welcome Noelia to the PHAE Lab family!

Noelia brings an outstanding background in Biochemistry and Translational Neuropsychopharmacology, complemented by specialized training in Pharmacogenetics. As Subcoordinator of the Pharmacogenetics Platform at ISABIAL and PhD candidate at UMH, she is actively contributing to landmark projects including PREVESTATGx, MORPHEO, and OPIC. Her expertise in pharmacogenetic-guided therapy, AI-based prediction of opioid use disorder, and sex/gender differences will be a tremendous asset to our team. Welcome aboard, Noelia!

Our systematic review examining how process evaluations are conducted in public health campaigns targeting substance use and physical activity has just been published in Health Education Research. The review highlights key gaps in methodological transparency and theoretical integration, recommending the adoption of standardised assessment tools to improve the quality and real-world applicability of future campaign evaluations.

🔗 Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyag008 

Thomas was invited to speak on Trentino TV (Italy) about risk and protective factors in the context of doping, addressing how athletes are often left alone in their choices and how many of them face stigmatisation. He also had the opportunity to present the PHAE Lab during the interview. The video is in Italian with English subtitles.

Thomas discussed our research on AlicantíTV radio, focusing on the study published in Addictive Behaviors titled "Predictive modelling links exercise dependence to associated psychological and behavioral risk factors". This research marks an initial advancement in creating quantitative risk assessments for Exercise Dependence by examining multidimensional factors and determining how each dimension influences overall risk using a transparent and regulated machine learning methodology (January 27, 2026).

Thomas was interviewed by some radio channels regarding the study published in Addictive Behaviors, entitled "Predictive modelling links exercise dependence to associated psychological and behavioral risk factors".  This work represents a first step toward developing quantitative risk profiles for Exercise Dependence by considering multidimensional constructs and investigating the contribution of each dimension to the final risk through a controlled and interpretable machine learning predictive approach  (January 16 and 23, 2026).

Several Spanish media outlets have highlighted our study have highlighted our study published in Addictive Behaviors, entitled "Predictive modelling links exercise dependence to associated psychological and behavioral risk factors".  Scientific evidence supports physical exercise as one of the primary recommendations for maintaining good health. However, when practiced compulsively and uncontrollably, it can become problematic: exercise addiction. This international study, led by the head of our laboratory, has identified perfectionism and competitive sports practice as two of the factors most strongly associated with the risk of developing this behavior (January 12, 2026).