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Copyright: Nancy Clark, MS, RD April 2004

Mirror, Mirror on the the Wall...Are Muscular Men the Best of All?

“I’m worried about my son. He’s spending more time in the gym than at
college. He thinks he’s scrawny but he’s not.”
“My boyfriend’s diet includes four protein shakes and four protein bars
every day. Isn’t that a bit excessive...?”
“I want to be massive ... I want more  muscle, less fat.”

     There’s a new syndrome emerging from behind gym doors. It’s called
muscle dysmorphia. You might notice it in the weight room of your gym.
Some weightlifters have a pathological belief their muscles are too
small. They have a poor body image; they are ashamed of, embarrassed by
and unhappy with their bodies. They have a passionate desire to not 
only
build muscle, but also to avoid gaining fat. This preoccupation with
building muscles manifests in excessive weight lifting (spending 4+
hours a day at the power gym), excessive attention to diet (consuming
protein shakes on a rigid schedule), excessive time spent
"body-checking" (looking in mirrors, CDs, window reflections, etc.).,
excessive weighing of themselves (10 to 20 times per day), too little
time spent with family and friends (but who’d want to be with a wimp,
anyway???) and not uncommonly, use of anabolic steroids.
     Is this over concern with body size a new obsession? Perhaps. In 
the
past few years, we have been increasingly exposed to half-naked male
bodies (i.e., underwear ads for Calvin Klein, shampoo ads with muscular
men taking showers). Even brief exposure to these media images can
affect a man's view of his body.
     In a study of the media's effect on male body image, a group of
college men viewed advertisements with muscular men while another group
viewed neutral advertisements with no partially-naked male bodies. The
men were then given a body image assessment (while unaware of the
hypothesis being tested in the study). The men exposed to the muscular
images showed a significantly greater discrepancy between the body they
ideally would want to have and their current body size.  (Leit, Int’l J
Eating Disorders, April '02) Another study suggests up to a third of
teenage boys are trying to gain weight to be stronger, fitter, have a
better body image and do better at sports. (J Am Diet Assoc, Jan. '01)
     The irony is, while college-age men may believe a larger male body
is more attractive to the opposite sex, women report desiring a more
normal-sized body. In a study with men from three countries (U.S.,
Austria, France), the subjects were shown a spectrum of body images and
then asked to chose
1) the body they felt represented their own body,
2) the body they would ideally like to have,
3) the body of an average man of their age, and
4) the male body they felt was preferred by women.
Men from all three countries chose an ideal male body that was about 28
pounds more muscular then their current bodies. They also reported
believing women prefer a male body with 30 pounds more muscle than they
currently possessed. Yet, an accompanying study with women indicated
women actually preferred an ordinary male body without added muscle.
(Pope, Am J Psychiatry, Aug. 2000)
     At the Massachusetts Eating Disorders Association’s (MEDA) annual
conference, Roberto Olivardia shared his research on body image in
adolescent boys. Olivardia is a psychology instructor at Harvard 
Medical
School and co-author of The Adonis Complex. (Adonis is the Greek god 
who
exemplifies ideal masculine beauty and the desire of all women.)
Olivardia explained that adolescence is a time for exploring “Who am 
I?”
Without a doubt, so much of who a teen is is defined by his body.
Because today's boys have been exposed from day one to GI Joe dolls,
Hulk Hogan, and Nintendo’s Duke Nukem, they have relentlessly received
very strong messages that muscular bodies are desirable.
    Muscularity is commonly associated with masculinity. Compared to
ordinary men, muscular tend to men command more respect, are deemed 
more
powerful, more threatening, more sexually virile. Muscular men perceive
others as “backing off” and “taking them seriously.” Not surprisingly,
men's desire for muscles has manifest in a dramatic increase in 
cosmetic
surgery for muscle (and penile) implants.
     Olivardia expressed concern the “bigger is better” mindset can
often lead to the use of anabolic steroids. He cited statistics from a
study with 3,400 12th grade high school boys: 6.6% reported having
resorted to steroids; more than two-thirds of the boys started before
the age of 16.  (Buckley, JAMA 260:344, 1988) Olivardia regrets that
steroids are commonly used shamefully, in secrecy. "Men will tell
someone they use cocaine before they admit to using ‘juice’.”
      Steroids carry with them serious medical concerns: breast
enlargement, impotence, acne, mood swings,  risk of heart disease,
prostate cancer, liver damage and AIDS (from sharing needles)?? to say
nothing of sudden death, if not now perhaps 20 years from now. “Roid
rage,” the fierce temper that easily contributes to brutal murders and
violence against women, is an immediate danger.
     Olivardia reminds us not every male who lifts weights struggles
with muscle dysmorphia. Those at risk include boys who have been teased
as a child about being too fat or too short. The boys at highest risk
are those who base their self-esteem solely on how they look.
     What’s the solution? According to Olivardia, young men need
education about realistic body size so they can correct the distorted
thought “if some muscle is good, then more must be better.” They might
also need treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder. The sad part is,
most men believe they are the only ones on this planet who have this
problem; they take a very long time to admit the need for therapy. And
when they do, too few programs exist to help them explore the function
this obsession serves in their life: it offers a sense of control. They
mistakenly believe control of their bodies equates to control over 
their
lives.
     If you are a male struggling with body dysmorphia, certainly you
can read The Adonis Complex: The Secret Crisis of Male Body Obsession
and other books that are available via www.gurze.com. A web-search on
“muscle dysmorphia” can also yield hundreds of articles with helpful
information. Most importantly, know you are not alone; seek help and
find peace.

Sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, MS, RD counsels clients privately at
SportsMedicine Associates (617-739-2003) in Brookline MA. Her Sports
Nutrition Guidebook ($23) and Food Guide for Marathoners: Tips for
Everyday Champions ($20) are available via www.nancyclarkrd.com or by
sending a check to Sports Nutrition Services, 830 Boylston St. #205,
Brookline MA 02467.
For help with eating disorders and body image, go to the Massachusetts
Eating Disorders Association's website:  www.medainc.org.



Sports Nutritionist Nancy Clark, MS RD counsels both casual exercisers 
and competitive athletes at her private practice in Healthworks 
(617-383-6100), the premier fitness center in Chestnut Hill, MA. She 
teaches them how to manage food for sports. Her new Cyclist's Food 
Guide 
($20), as well as her Sports Nutrition Guidebook ($23) and Food Guide 
for Marathoners are available via www.nancyclarkrd.com.