"Sports and exercise physician Peter Larkins agreed if people were prepared to look for a legal additive, then it followed that they were susceptible to taking illegal supplements. ''It's a similar thing to the drug world - people start with something low and then move on to something stronger,'' he said.
But measuring uptake was difficult.
''If you go to a gym, the majority of people in a weightlifting or body building program will be taking supplements, but at an under-16 hockey championship it certainly won't be the majority.''