Bodybuilding, Weight Loss, Dietary Supplements Dependency & Overuse Akin to Eating Disorder in Men?

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A new research presented at the American Psychological Association's convention held in Toronto revealed that there is an influx of men using and overusing over-the-counter dietary supplements to replace full meals.

The researchers led by Richard Achiro, an LA-based psychotherapist, surveyed men who use dietary supplements. They found that more than 40 percent of the participants shared that their usage of supplements such as glutamine, creatine, L-carnitine, protein bars and whey protein has increased over a period of time.

For the survey, the scientists surveyed nearly 200 men who are 18 years old and above and have taken performance-enhancing drugs (APED) within the last month. The participants were asked to take an online survey including body image, eating habits, self-esteem, supplement use, and gender role conflicts.

The study revealed that 22 percent of the participants use the dietary supplements to replace full meals, while 8 percent have been advised by their physicians to minimize or stop the usage of the supplements, and 3 percent were sent to the hospital for kidney or liver damage, the LA Times reported.

"Quite a few men are indeed using these supplements in a way that can adversely affect their physical health," Achiro said via US News & World Report. "Most alarming is that 30 percent of those men have said their own use of these supplements has concerned them."

Achiro added that the men in the survey use the supplements akin to women who have body image issues and turn to bulimia or anorexia.

"Basically, men have different standards and ideals than women when it comes to their bodies, and it makes sense that an eating disorder would be expressed differently in men than in women," Achiro explained.

The research also revealed that there is an association with the amount of APEDs used with the perceived dissatisfaction of the body and lack of self-esteem.

"Overall, the current findings suggest that excessive legal APED use may represent a variant of disordered eating that threatens the health of gym-active men," the abstract published in American Psychological Association (APA) read.

According to the researchers, men should be educated about the issue since majority of bodybuilding supplement users don't think they have a problem.

Achiro told Reuters that the sharp increase in men's body dissatisfaction is due to the media's objectification of the male form, similar to what women have experienced in the past few decades.

Achiro said that supplements and its users should be closely monitored as it becomes more accessible around the world. It may also be necessary to study and assess the effects of overusing the dietary supplements, he said in a statement as reported by Huffington Post.