The rise of 'protorexia' amongst shake swigging gym addicts

Has the trend for supplement powders become 'whey' too much? Joshi Herrmann investigates
In a study of 195 men, one in 10 had been advised to lower their protein intake by a medical professional
(Picture: Getty)
Joshi Herrmann17 August 2015

Male gym locker rooms have a pretty timeless appearance — towels around shoulders, naked blokes moving around with varying degrees of confidence and muscle — but one thing is new and will date any changing room to the 21st century or just before: ubiquitous plastic supplement flasks.

The gym supplement industry is now worth hundreds of millions of pounds in the UK per year (it will bring in £471 million by 2018, it is projected), and in some changing rooms every second gymgoer seems to be shaking a flask vigorously, like an added exertion at the end of their workout.

Compared with performance-enhancing aids found in the fridges of cheating cyclists, or the illegal steroids injected by over-eager Essex boys pre-Marbella, in the public’s mind, legal supplements such as protein shakes and creatine are thought to be largely benign. But a fascinating new study from the US last week could change that. It found that supplement-users can exhibit similar behavioural and mental indicators as people with serious eating disorders.

The study, by Dr Richard Achiro and Dr Peter Theodore and presented to the American Psychological Association, found that 22 per cent of supplement-users studied had replaced meals with supplements on a regular basis, despite the shakes in question not being marketed as dieting aids. Just under a third of the 195 men in the study told the researchers that they were worried about their supplement intake, and almost one in 10 had been advised to lower their intake by a medical professional.

When the data about self-esteem, eating habits and mental state was compared to the profile of people who suffer from eating disorders, the study found a strong correlation.

“Body-conscious men who are driven by psychological factors to attain a level of physical or masculine ‘perfection’ are prone to use these supplements and drugs in a manner that is excessive and which was demonstrated in this study to be a variant of disordered eating,” Achiro was quoted as saying.

Protein supplements help to repair muscle tissue by sending amino acids to the muscle cells after a workout, potentially aiding muscle strength, function and size. They used to be associated with bodybuilding but clever marketing has spread their appeal so now include anyone serious enough about weights to visit the gym more than twice a week.

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The magazine Men’s Fitness says the extra protein shakes are a convenient way to get a large, quick protein hit straight after a training session. Clocking the popularity of protein shakes among twentysomething men, Jamie Oliver has even concocted a protein-heavy smoothie of banana, peanut butter and chia seed, telling his website readers that he drinks it after the morning gym.

A factsheet written by the Association of UK Dieticians points out that while a balanced diet provides the nutrients necessary for sport, there are instances where supplements can be beneficial. However it warns that: “Athletes interested in using a supplement should consult an accredited sports dietician to ensure they use the supplements safely and appropriately.”

The christening of “protorexia” comes at the same time that experts have become worried about “Orthorexia nervosa” — an anxiety disorder sufferers from which obsess about healthy eating, but unhealthily so.

In June, the Standard interviewed a 23-year-old Londoner who had sought help at a private hospital that specialises in mental health or emotional problems, after she became fixated on the healthy eating goals that a popular fitness app was setting her.

“Tracking my exercise and calorie burn, as well as keeping an online food diary, became an obsessive habit,” she said. “The day would feel ruined if I broke the healthy-eating diet rule.”

Follow Joshi Hermann on Twitter: @joshi

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