Fitness Influencers and Social Media

Fitness influencers and social media can raise questions about body image, calorie-tracking apps and performance-enhancing drugs. The studies discussed here show associations and potential concerns, rather than proof that every viewer will develop a disorder or use these drugs.

How has fitness content moved onto social media?

Fitness content for adolescents and young adults increasingly arrives through social media.

Gone are the days of having to go to the store and purchase a favorite magazine, or even watch infomercials on the latest fads in the industry.

Young people can now connect to social media through their smartphones to see what their favorite fitness influencer is promoting. Social media giants such as TikTok and Instagram feature these fitness influencers where they may offer more harm than good.

Just the presentation of unattainable bodies in both men and women may lead to disordered eating and even drug abuse. In many cases, the public is unaware of the adverse effects of substance abuse from a desire to look like their favorite influencer.

Unfortunately, the negative surface of “fitspiration” is just being scratched.

How can appearance comparisons affect viewers?

An influencer’s physique is not a realistic standard for every viewer. They may misuse the power they have over much younger and more naive audiences by promoting their unattainable bodies.

They are often presented showing off how lean and muscular they are. They also may embellish what they do that allows them to stay so lean or thin.

Many newcomers to the fitness world may see this and want to look like their favorite influencer.

They may begin an unrealistic diet that may be the start of an eating disorder and body dysmorphia.

The 2018 calorie-tracking study surveyed 491 college students; it did not directly test whether fitness influencers cause eating disorders in male gym users. Its authors discussed body ideals among women: “the prevalent socio-cultural norm of the “thin ideal” body type is particularly salient to women, which leads to many women being dissatisfied with their bodies and consequently feeling compelled to lose weight to become thinner. As one of the primary functions of calorie-tracking apps is to facilitate weight loss, women may be more likely to download and utilize such apps because of their high levels of body dissatisfaction”.

What did the calorie-tracking study examine?

What may begin as a helpful tool to stay on track with a typical fat loss diet, calorie-tracking apps like MyFitnessPal have now become an almost “obsessive” tool for those who want to look like their favorite influencer.

In an effort to combat disordered eating, the authors of the 2018 survey recommended that “college health professionals suggest restricted use or complete removal of these apps from smartphones if they sense that a young adult displays the characteristics identified by this study as predictors of calorie-tracking app usage (i.e., neuroticism, body dissatisfaction) that may lead to problematic behaviors due to body-image related motivations for use of such apps”.

That recommendation came from an observational college survey, not a trial showing that removing apps prevents eating disorders. While disordered eating may develop into a serious problem for those looking to emulate their favorite fitness influencer, some viewers, specifically men, may choose more hazardous approaches.

What did the Dutch gym-user survey find?

With fitness influencers appearing more muscular, yet leaner, almost every year, the standards of what constitutes a healthy, fit body has become more skewed in the eyes of many young adults.

This may eventually lead to them doing whatever it takes to obtain such an unrealistic body.

Often this quest leads to taking anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) or selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), which can increase muscle mass quicker.

However, this is not a safe shortcut. The FDA warns of serious harms associated with SARMs, including potential heart attack, stroke and liver injury.

The 2021 study surveyed 2269 male gym users aged 18–40 in the Netherlands. They reported resistance training for an average of 7 hours per week and 5 years.

The study reported body dissatisfaction in 5.1% of participants and muscularity dissatisfaction in 19.6% of participants.

The study found associations, not proof that dissatisfaction or social-media exposure caused drug use. Its body-image measure was associated with SARM use but not AAS use.

These substances are readily available to purchase online serving to make the user feel better about their bodies.

This muscle dysmorphia may contribute to such behavior, according to Goldman and colleagues’ review, which stated: “often significantly compromises social and occupational functioning, is associated with an elevated prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders and is well established to be a risk factor … and probably the use of other appearance- and performance-enhancing drugs such as SARMS.”

It is suggested that constant exposure to unattainable physiques may encourage young adults to abuse performance enhancing drugs.

But it may also lead to anxiety and mood disorders despite being relatively muscular.

What are the concerns about AAS and SARMs?

Despite social media giants such as Tik Tok and Instagram presenting influencers who are also on AAS and SARMs, some are open about their use.

But many are still silent on the issue for personal reasons such as illegality or want to trick their audience into believing that they too can achieve the body they have without the drugs.

Regardless, the public still does not know the adverse effects of steroid abuse.

Long-term evidence has limitations, but health officials have issued warnings; the FDA specifically warns teens and young adults about SARMs promoted online.

Long term abuse of AAS may lead to gynecomastia, acne, hair loss, kidney, and liver damage, and has been associated with cardiomyopathy, and myocardial infarction, as discussed in Goldman and colleagues’ review.

Many young people on social media may not be aware of these lifelong consequences.

They may simply jump into taking the drugs to keep up with their favorite influencer.

Sadly, they may be shaving years from their lives trying to look as good as their favorite influencer.

What should viewers keep in mind?

Despite a shift in how fitness content has transitioned from traditional fitness magazines to social media influencers, there still seems to be a reluctance to explore many problems brought about by some fitness influencers.

Primarily, promoting their unattainable bodies to younger, inexperienced audience who do not understand, and would take whatever they say as gospel.

A social-media post may not reveal the creator’s actual calorie intake or drug use. Viewers should not assume that the same appearance can be reproduced from what a post shows.

These many factors combined may lead to many adolescents developing an eating disorder by obsessing over every calorie they consume.

They even begin to take AAS or SARMs at a very young age, to combat their muscular dysmorphia.

Younger people taking these drugs often do not know the associated negative consequences which may result in heart disease or other life-threatening conditions.

References

Embacher Martin, K., McGloin, R., & Atkin, D. (2018). Body dissatisfaction, neuroticism, and female sex as predictors of calorie-tracking app use amongst college students. Journal of American College Health, 66(7), 608–616. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2018.1431905

Goldman, A. L., Pope, H. G., & Bhasin, S. (2018). The health threat posed by the hidden epidemic of anabolic steroid use and body image disorders among young men. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 104(4), 1069–1074. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2018-01706

Hilkens, L., Cruyff, M., Woertman, L., Benjamins, J., & Evers, C. (2021). Social media, Body Image and resistance training: Creating the perfect ‘me’ with dietary supplements, anabolic steroids and Sarm’s. Sports Medicine – Open, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-021-00371-1

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Warns of Use of Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) Among Teens, Young Adults. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/fda-warns-use-selective-androgen-receptor-modulators-sarms-among-teens-young-adults

“Young people can now connect to social media through their smartphones to see what their favorite fitness influencer is promoting.”

“It is suggested that constant exposure to unattainable physiques may encourage young adults to abuse performance enhancing drugs.”

“Younger people taking these drugs often do not know the associated negative consequences which may result in heart disease or other life-threatening conditions.”