Boys Have Body Image Issues, Too

Pediatricians are concerned with the lengths to which boys go to get ripped

Body image issues aren’t just for girls anymore, according a study to be published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics. Doctors are growing concerned over teenage boys who are taking unhealthy measures to achieve ripped and muscular physiques. In the study, more than 40 percent of boys in middle school and high school said they regularly exercised with the goal of increasing muscle mass. Thirty-eight percent said they used protein supplements and 6 percent said they experimented with illegal steroids. Long hours in the gym, using weekly allowances on expensive supplements and risky steroid experiments appear to be on the rise. Doctors say boys who obsess over a specific image of manhood may end up stunting their development. (New York Times)

[SUBSCRIBE TO LOOP 21 RSS FEED]