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5 August 2005
Body Dysmorphic Disorder Drives Teens To Supplements 
The August issue of Pediatrics carries worrying findings from a recent nationwide survey into body dysmorphic disorder amongst adolescents. It found that teenagers, both boys and girls, are increasingly concerned about their body image and are turning to hormones and dietary supplements in the hope of achieving a perfect physique. The survey found that 8 percent of all girls and 12 percent of all boys reported using products in the past year to improve their appearance, muscle mass, or strength. Nearly 5 percent of the boys surveyed and 2 percent of the girls used such products at least weekly. The most commonly used products were protein powders and protein shakes. Creatine, amino acids, the amino-acid metabolite HMB, DHEA, growth hormone and anabolic steroids were popular amongst boys. Girls who said they wanted to look like women in the movies or on TV were more than twice as likely as their peers to use supplements at least weekly to increase muscle mass or definition. The researchers said that adolescent supplement users appear to be heavily influenced by the media. "More and more media images show people with sculpted physiques. It used to just be scantily-clad women, but now, you see more and more of images of men with physiques are that impossible for most people to attain," said Alison Field, from the Children's Hospital Boston and the study's first author. "Girls' concerns about their bodies are well known, but I don't think it's on parents' radar screens that their sons might have body concerns - 'I'm not big enough, I'm not strong enough, I'm not buff enough.' The Internet is full of sites where these substances can be purchased. Protein powders are probably relatively safe, but steroids have well-known side-effects, and some of the other products may not be so benign." Some supplements were of particular concern to the researchers. For boys, anabolic steroids can have the most serious health effects, including testicular atrophy, impotence, liver damage and 'roid rage' (uncontrolled aggression). The safety of creatine, DHEA, and other products has also been questioned. "Most of us in adolescent medicine think it's best to stay away from these products altogether," Field concluded.
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