The images we see 24-7 work their way into our minds and play tricks on us when it comes to our perceptions of what is healthy and what is beautiful. Those glossy magazine ads have an even bigger impact on America’s youth, and it’s not just the stick-thin models we need to worry about. Buff bodies with bulging muscles can send a dangerous message too.
So often we focus on the dangers of kids dieting to reach a smaller size, but bulking up may be the new trend. In a new study of 2,793 teens from 20 urban middle and high schools, more than 90 percent of boys and 80 percent of girls said they were exercising to become more buff.
So what’s wrong with that? Exercise is good for us, so it’s positive news that teens are getting off the couch and into the gym – you’d think. The problem is that a large number of American teens are using other measures too. Almost 6 percent of boys and 5 percent of girls were turning to steroids to achieve the toned look they craved according to a study published recently in Pediatrics.
Among the boys 34.7 percent were consuming protein powders or shakes, 5.9 percent reported using steroids and 10.5 percent said they were using some other muscle enhancing substance. That’s compared to 21.2 percent of girls using protein powders or shakes, 4.6 percent taking steroids and 5.5 using some other muscle enhancing substance.
If teens are willing to resort to these measures now, they may turn to more extreme methods in the future. As these extreme measures gain wider acceptance, more teens will take the risk to get the body magazines are telling them is the most desirable.
Getting and staying fit is important, but it needs to be done in a healthy and safe way.
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