More young teens are turning to muscle-enhancing behaviors like extreme dieting, taking protein powd...

1. Young teens turning to protein powders, steroids to bulk up:
Survey
More young teens are turning to muscle-enhancing behaviors like extreme dieting, taking protein
powders and even using steroids, a new study warns.
The researchers behind the study, published Nov. 19 in Pediatrics, say the trend is "cause for
concern" and of "considerable public health importance."
For the study, researchers surveyed nearly 2,800 adolescents from middle and high schools in urban
areas who were an average of 14 years old. They were surveyed on whether they engaged in muscle-enhancing
behaviors that included changed eating habits, increased exercise regimens and the use
of protein powders, steroids or other muscle enhancers like creatine.
The results surprised researchers. More than two-thirds of boys changed their eating to increase
their muscle size or tone, and 90 percent reported exercising to bone or bulk-up.
Behaviors the researchers deem "unhealthy" for teen boys were also common, with nearly 35
percent using protein powders or shakes, more than 10 percent using other muscle-enhancing
supplements and almost 6 percent of them used steroids like testosterone.
Boys however weren't the only ones turning to these behaviors. A large majority of surveyed girls
said they changed their eating and exercise habits, 21 percent turned to protein powders, 5.5
percent used other muscle enhancers and about 5 percent used steroids.
Body mass index -- a ratio of height and weight used by doctors to measure obesity -- correlated with
muscle-enhancing behaviors, so overweight and obese girls (BMI 25 and higher) were significantly
more likely to use protein powders and shakes than normal weight girls (BMI 18.5 to 24.9). Grade
level and participation on a sports team also correlated to a greater likelihood for these behaviors.
Asian adolescents were found to be more likely to engage in the behaviors than other surveyed
groups.
The study's authors urge pediatricians to talk to their adolescent patients about healthier ways to

2. bull up.
"Given the adverse health effects of steroids and other muscle-enhancing substances, identifying
populations at particular risk and understanding patterns of use hold considerable public health
importance," the researchers write.
They say an increase in body images shown in media of leaner, muscular men and women has
corresponded with an increase in body dissatisfaction among teens. Further, high-profile steroid
cases involving athletes and celebrities also raises awareness among youth for potential muscle-building
options.
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Study author Dr. Marla Eisenberg, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota added to
MyHealthNewsDaily that teens who engage in compulsive eating behaviors could be at risk for
serious disorders down the road.
She also said teens who substitute protein shakes for meals are making an unhealthy choice and
may be "missing out on the additional nutrients and other benefits of eating real food."
Steroids can cause prematurely stunted growth in teens that have yet to stop growing by causing the
skeleton to mature too fast and accelerating puberty changes, according to the National Institute on
Drug Abuse. Other effects include jaundice, fluid retention, high blood pressure, severe acne and
sexual side effects for boys and girls that may impact fertility. Annabolic steroids also may cause
mood swings, impaired judgment, depression or irritability.
Experts also note the supplement industry is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so
products may contain other potentially harmful ingredients.
An "old wives' tale" may suggest teens who lift weights and bulk up may stunt their growth. The
American Academy of Pediatrics says that could definitely happen if an adolescent injures the bone's
growth plate. Other injuries include herniated disks in the back, muscle strains and tears, bone
fractures and cartilage damage.
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