Bodybuilders seeking to enhance their physique by injecting natural oils risk lasting damage and even death, doctors have warned.
They fear that a case in west London in which a 25-year-old man suffered scarring and restricted function after injecting coconut oil may be the “tip of the iceberg”.
Instances have been recorded in recent years of bodybuilders using other oils, including sesame oil, walnut oil and paraffin, which are less costly than other synthetic compounds, in the hope of boosting muscle size and definition.
There has been little medical literature on the subject to date, but a paper published in BMJ Case Reports on Thursday says the practice is well documented among Arab and Middle Eastern communities and online.
The 25-year-old man was referred to Ealing hospital because of pain and loss of function in his right arm, into which he had injected the coconut oil over several months.
An ultrasound scan showed a rupture in his triceps – a rare condition in young patients – and multiple cysts within the arm muscles. Surgery to repair the rupture was successful but he was left with scarring and limited elbow flexion.
Dr Ajay Sahu, of London North West Healthcare NHS trust, who co-authored the report, said: “He has lost significant function in his tricep and he’s right-handed. If he had injected the coconut oil into one of his veins by mistake it could have been fatal. It could cause an embolism in the heart, the lungs or the brain. You need to think about the implications.”
Sahu said the case was difficult to diagnose because the patient did not initially admit what he had done, and Sahu was not aware at the time that injecting natural oils was something people did to try to build muscle.
He suggested resort to such drastic measures was symptomatic of increasing concern among young men about how they look.
“People do all sorts of things [to gain muscle] and these things are very unreported,” he said. “These people will never come to the doctor and say all the things they do. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
