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Globe and Mail
7 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Social media is serving up big muscles and normalizing steroid use
As a wellness writer with a lens on men's health, my social media is bombarded by body transformations, superhero workout plans and dubious fitness advice. But about six months ago, amongst the cottage cheese protein recipes and kettlebell routines, I started to notice a new trend. Bodybuilders, coaches and influencers were openly talking about the steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs used to achieve their physiques. Rather than highlighting specific workout programs and calorie deficits, the emphasis was on the 'stacks' of chemicals most impactful for a lean and muscular frame. On some level, I admire the honesty. Over the past two decades, superhero movies have changed the perception of what being in shape even means. Just look at the difference between Hugh Jackman in the first X-Men movie compared with his recent stint in Deadpool and Wolverine. While many speculate those kinds of changes are fuelled by performance enhancers, very few actors are willing to talk about drug use. Instead they attribute the changes strictly to hard work, clean eating and some good genetics. Debates about whether or not someone's physique is achieved naturally have even spawned their own series of content, where creators speculate on whether someone is 'natty or not.' In translation, are you achieving results without performance-enhancing drugs, or are you using steroids? How to prevent tweaks, strains and tears caused by tennis, running and other popular workouts The Enhanced Games have found new sponsorship from Donald Trump Jr. What does this mean for sport? By being forthcoming about steroids, influencers offer a realistic take on what achieving a perfect body actually entails beyond diet and exercise. It's a phenomenon equivalent to celebrities admitting to the use of Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs while shedding pounds. But the constant bombardment of content featuring open drug use and chiselled bodies can take the societal pressures around body image and make it feel like they're on … well, steroids. It seems like drugs are everywhere. '[Social media] is one of the things that is obviously boosting more people to use steroids and consider performance enhancers, not only for performance, but for the aesthetic aspect of it,' said Kyle Ganson, a registered social worker and an assistant professor at University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. His research focuses on eating disorders, muscle dysmorphia and muscle-building behaviours among adolescents and young adults. 'The stigma is still there but in the social-media realm it's becoming a bit more open.' Opinion: The state of men's health in Canada is a crisis we can no longer ignore It's a perspective that's backed by data. Because steroids are illegal in Canada and the United States, stats on their overall use are hard to come by. But an article from the American Psychological Association showed a correlation between social-media use, greater body-image concerns and appearance-altering behaviours. A study from the Center for Countering Digital Hate – a platform dedicated to counteracting discrimination and disinformation online – also noted that videos with hashtags promoting 'steroid-like drugs' were viewed by American users up to 587 million times in the past three years, with up to 420 million views from users under 24. TikTok criticized the report, noting the group didn't differentiate between potentially harmful videos and videos talking about steroid addiction or side effects. The constant comparison to idealized bodies on the internet – many of whom are on performance enhancers and doing fitness as a full-time job – might make it seem like something a viewer needs to do if they want to get in shape. 'It's where media literacy becomes really important, especially for young men seeing that on their feed. They need to really understand there's context to why those guys look that way,' said Ganson. On Reddit and other forums, it's easy to find suggestions on where to buy steroids and how to best use the drugs. But without proper research or medical supervision, many steroid users overlook major long-term side effects such as infertility and suppression of their body's natural testosterone production – not to mention more minor outcomes including hair loss, acne and testicular atrophy – in favour of listening to strangers on the internet. Another factor in the normalization of hormones and performance enhancers has to do with health companies and startups advertising testosterone replacement therapy. With TRT, testosterone is prescribed by a doctor to men who medically qualify. In Canada, this would mean testing repeatedly with a total testosterone level below 8.0 nanomoles per litre for men under the age of 50. According to Mount Sinai, normal levels fall between 10 to 35 nmol/litre. The drugs are said to help with depression, sexual functions, energy and physique. Inside the testosterone-fuelled, regimented and expensive world of longevity influencers It's debated whether TRT counts as steroid use. The focus of TRT is to achieve higher levels of testosterone still within the body's natural range, all overseen by a doctor. Anabolic steroid use often pushes people's levels way beyond what even the most genetically gifted could achieve. They're often mixed with other substances such as human growth hormone and obtained through unregulated sources. Regardless, some doctors feel like TRT is being over prescribed. 'Testosterone replacement has almost been glamourized, especially for men under the age of 40,' said George Mankaryous, chief medical officer of Rocky Health, an online medical clinic focused on men's health. 'But low testosterone level doesn't necessarily mean that there's actually something physically wrong with your body's natural production of testosterone.' Rocky Health offers prescriptions for hair loss and weight-management drugs, but the brand opts not to offer TRT, believing online clinics are ill-equipped to diagnose low testosterone. Testosterone levels naturally decrease as we get older, while lifestyle and physical factors such as obesity, stress and excessive alcohol use also play a role. Still, TRT is a rapidly growing industry, with the market expected to grow more than US$400-million globally by 2026. Consumers can expect to pay anywhere between $100 to $500 a month, according to Canadian provider Jack Health. While social media can make the use of steroids seem normalized, many folks who've experimented with the drugs are also warning viewers about the dark side of their use, the tradeoffs for the muscle gain and the impact it had on their longevity and health. But among all the cautionary videos, one thing stood out. A lot of men – people who looked in pique physical shape – complained about how awful they felt in their bodies. They'd started using performance enhancers with the hope of achieving their physical best, but even after reaching those heights, they didn't feel better about their bodies on a mental level. As more and more videos pop up on my feed, it's something I remind myself of.
CBC
10 hours ago
- CBC
Relationships with AI are here, but do they really help with loneliness? It's complicated.
Researchers are increasingly turning to AI to help address loneliness and social isolation. But exploring this technology also raises questions about the social impact it may have on people.
CBC
10 hours ago
- CBC
Breastfeeding could help prevent early puberty in girls and boys, South Korean study finds
Girls and boys who were exclusively breastfed during their first four to six months showed a reduced risk of early puberty, according to a large new study from South Korea that Canadian doctors say could apply here. The study, published in Monday's issue of JAMA Network Open, looked back at the diets and development of more than 300,000 children from 2007 to 2020, based on data from checkups at four to six months of age and before six years. Worldwide, puberty has increasingly begun earlier in kids. Called "central precocious puberty," it's linked to an increased risk of health problems in adulthood, like heart disease, cancer and diabetes, as well as mental health issues like depression and anxiety. The researchers believe that kids who are exclusively breastfed are less likely to develop childhood obesity, a major predisposing factor of early puberty. However, experts note that many mothers face challenges in breastfeeding, which they say should be addressed on a structural level. "The take-home message should be, for parents or to-be parents, that breastfeeding has multiple beneficial health effects for their children," said Dr. Sonia Anand, associate vice-president of global health at McMaster University, who was not involved in the study. "And the second message is it is not always easy to do." Long-term benefits of breastfeeding About 46 per cent of the babies in the South Korean study were exclusively breastfed, more than a third had formula and nearly 20 per cent had both. "The idea is that breastfed kids are less likely to have extra weight and that's the mechanism whereby they're more protected from developing early puberty," said Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta, a professor of medicine and physician scientist at the McGill University Health Centre, who also was not involved in the study. Boys who were fed just formula had a 16 per cent increased risk of early puberty compared with their peers who were only fed breast milk, the researchers found. For exclusively formula-fed girls, the association jumped to 60 per cent. For mixed-fed boys, it was 14 per cent higher, compared with 45 per cent for girls. The researchers noted some caveats to their study. The participants self-reported how long they breastfed their children, for example. It also couldn't include genetic factors like maternal age of puberty. The early part of life is a key time, as that's when a lot of disease risk is set, wrote doctors Lin Yang and Shengxu Li. Though they weren't involved in the study, they wrote an accompanying journal commentary. "Disease starts early, so should its prevention," they said. Dasgupta says there's no reason to think the findings would be different in Canada. Preventing early puberty can also help kids in other ways, she adds. "The earlier your puberty, the shorter you may become," she said. "There's also the stigma around having early signs of being an adult when you're still a kid. Other kids may tease you." Supporting mothers instead of shaming Yang and the researchers say that instead of putting pressure on new moms, a society-wide approach is important. That includes stronger parental leave policies, workplace accommodations like a private space to breastfeed and lactation support services. "I think policy support, raised awareness, as well as creating the environment for women to be able to [breastfeed] is very important," Yang told CBC News. Sleep patterns, physical activity levels and screen time could also be increasing childhood obesity and early puberty rates, Yang and Li wrote in their commentary, as well as environmental pollutants like endocrine disruptors, though she acknowledged there isn't good data on that. In Canada, about 91 per cent of parents start out breastfeeding. About 38 per cent of parents breastfed exclusively for at least six months, Statistics Canada reported in 2024. Of those who stopped before six months, reasons included not having enough breast milk, finding breastfeeding difficult and the child weaning themself off of it. "I think the wrong takeaway and the wrong approach is to shame mothers who try to breastfeed but can't continue," Anand said. Breastfeeding is one factor among many that can influence weight gain in kids. Lifestyle choices like limiting fast food and cooking with more vegetables and lean proteins can also help prevent childhood obesity, doctors say. While the South Korean study doesn't prove that formula feeding causes early puberty, the researchers had a robust data set and the associations are plausible, she said. Anand's own research demonstrated early breastfeeding and for at least six months was associated with lower levels of excess body fat in children at age three. She says she'd like to see other large studies show similar findings to the South Korean to nail down cause and effect. Studies looking at how genes are tied to precocious puberty could also help, she said.
