Is calorie counting hurting male mental health? Diet culture's impact on men
Despite online body positivity movements and vocal backlash to the so-called diet culture that dominated the media in the 1990s and 2000s, as well as the rise of semaglutides, such as Ozempic, for weight loss, the industry is still projected to reach $354.32 billion in 2025.
For the most part, women are the assumed target audience, the gender most impacted by the culture and the loudest voices raising awareness against fad diets. Yet a new study has highlighted how men are more impacted by the pressures of restrictive diets than might commonly be assumed.
In its survey of 28,525 adults, research by BMJ Group found that males have a higher correlation of depressive symptoms while on a restrictive diet than their female counterparts. This, in part, can be attributed to the intake of nutrients essential for brain health.
Link between diet and mental health
'Calorie-restricted diets often result in nutritional deficiencies, particularly in protein, and essential vitamins and minerals, and induce physiological stress. This can exacerbate depressive symptomatology,' said the researchers, also citing a failure to lose weight and weight cycling – losing weight, then putting it back on – as possible reasons for mental stress.
'Diets low in carbohydrates (glucose) or fats (omega-3s) may theoretically worsen brain function and exacerbate cognitive-affective symptoms, especially in men with greater nutritional needs.'
Chief scientist Sumantra Ray noted this study adds to the evidence linking diets and mental health, 'raising important questions about whether diets that are low in nutrients considered beneficial for cognitive health, such as omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12, may precipitate depressive symptoms'.
As with most studies of this sort, the statistics point to correlations over causation, and it's worth remembering that calorie intake is self-reported. Yet the study still shines a light on the impact health and diet pressures have on men, too.
Emotional and social disconnect
'Male diet culture exists, but it's often harder to spot because it shows up differently and isn't talked about as much,' says Janani Satchithanantham, specialist dietetics, Aster Hospital, Qusais.
This in itself could lead to a greater impact on a man's well-being. 'Men often suffer in silence, disconnected from their true needs and trapped in a cycle of self-judgment. The relationship between diet, self-worth and depression is strong, yet taboo – many men don't feel safe discussing it,' says Walid Tebarki, head Pilates and yoga teacher at The Hundred Wellness Centre.
Dr Ash Shishodia, medical director and psychiatrist at Thrive Wellbeing Centre, explains that this can often be due to societal norms that encourage men to be tight-lipped. 'Men may suppress these feelings or express them through anger, irritability or substance use, rather than seeking help, due to gender norms around emotional expression. Dieting and body shame often co-exist with obsessive thoughts, compulsive exercise or emotional eating cycles.'
While Shishodia highlights that studies 'consistently show a link between being overweight and higher rates of depression and anxiety, especially in men who are actively trying – and failing – to lose weight', he likewise stresses that this is more complex than research can demonstrate.
'When we impose restrictions like dieting or trying to 'eat clean', it can create a real emotional and social disconnect. Food is more than fuel, it's a ritual, a celebration, a form of belonging.'
Stereotypically, men are pressured to be muscular and lean, 'but this pressure is usually framed as 'fitness' or 'discipline' rather than body image', says Satchithanantham.
The 'ideal' male body
'Society tends to push a very narrow image of the 'perfect' male body,' says Shishodia.
He cites the physique of actors such as Chris Hemsworth and Henry Cavill in movies such as Tho r and Superman, saying 'muscular but lean, with broad shoulders, six-pack abs, a strong chest and low body fat', is the ideal projected time and time again by fitness influencers, gym culture, men's health magazines, video games and action figures.
Some celebrities now work to dispel the myth that a movie-star body is the norm. Channing Tatum said of his Magic Mike figure: 'It's hard to look like that, even if you work out all the time. It's not normal.' Robert Pattinson has spoken about the mental health pressure of losing a drastic amount of weight for The Lost City of Z and bulking up for The Batman. Ed Sheeran has spoken about feeling 'fat' compared to his peers in the music industry.
Yet, the pressure still lingers, even consumes, many men. Such aspirations don't take into consideration factors such as age, genetics and everyday accessibility.
'I definitely got caught up in it,' says Sam Fishenden, 29, head trainer and nutrition coach at Roar Dubai. 'I remember feeling like I was on the chubbier side in school. Not overweight, but just enough to get the odd comment. Kids being kids, you'd get called names here and there, and those things stick. That's probably where the pressure started.
'There was a sense that if your body didn't look a certain way, you weren't trying hard enough,' he adds.
Fishenden, like many of his peers, would read magazines and go online to seek workout routines from media sites that featured six-pack-clad celebrities as cover stars.
'I'd read something like 'Hugh Jackman's arms workout' and just go for it without knowing anything about programming or nutrition, says Fishenden. 'There was no context, no real education. Just a load of plans built for adult men being followed by young lads who didn't have a clue what their body actually needed.'
Information over imagery
Despite making significant progress with the wealth of resources now available online, misinformation is still a problem, says personal trainer Vahab Vahedi.
'Many men follow extreme diets or routines they find on social media without understanding the science behind them. The issue isn't a lack of access to information, but rather the overwhelming volume of content that's unverified or misleading. Without the proper education or guidance, it's easy to fall into unhealthy habits,' he says.
Fitness influencers push a myriad of diet rules, such as high-protein bulking diets, to advise on intermittent fasting, testosterone-boosting supplements or cutting out entire food groups, which links back to the BMJ study's emphasis on nutrients for brain health.
'There's so much noise that it becomes hard to know what's actually right for your body," says Satchithanantham.
As he grew older, Fishenden explains that while his physique changed, the pressure he felt never really went away. 'That image of being lean and muscular with low body fat, it stays with you. I chased that for years.'
Now, having worked in the business, helping others to achieve their own health goals, that has begun to change. 'Only through experience and coaching others did I realise how much stress it puts on people and how far removed it can be from real health.'
And the lack of conversation about the pressure men feel means 'it's easy to silently fall into unhealthy habits that look 'fit' on the outside but aren't sustainable or balanced', he adds.
Changing the conversation
As always, there is a balance in the power of social media and online chatter. Alongside unrealistic images of male fitness, there is also focus around mental health. But there is still progress to be made.
'I've found that men often take much more time to open up about their body goals or desires,' says Tebarki, but when surrounded by the right support network, it does happen. Tabarki stresses the importance of 'recognising the deeper issues at play', citing work, family and financial pressures men, especially millennials, face. Turning to supplements or intense routines can 'fill an emotional or physical void'.
'We need to shift the focus from external goals and unrealistic ideals to internal awareness and everyday habits... learning to schedule life in a way that respects your body's needs,' says Tebarki. He recommends picking up a meditation practice to build a stronger connection between body and mind.
Psychologist and psychotherapist Laurence Moriette at BPS Clinic Dubai reiterates how important this is. 'Focus on how your body feels, what is it like to inhabit it. The energy, the mobility and endurance you have,' she says.
'The body is much more than appearance. The focus needs to be on functioning well. Muscles are by-products, not goals in and of themselves.'
Learning and accepting what is achievable for your body type is vital to maintaining good mental health in the face of overwhelming messaging.
Pushing back against diet culture, Fishenden says: 'We need to move away from this one-size-fits-all image of fitness.'
For those in the industry, this means discussing the entire journey and being realistic about the fitness setbacks and sacrifices it takes to achieve a certain look, including the impact on mental health.
'As coaches, we've got to normalise different body types and talk more about what health actually looks like because it's not the same for everyone.'
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