Muscling in

Healthy, active teenage boys should be able to get all their protein needs from food without having to resort to costly supplements

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Question:

My 16-year-old grandson goes to the gym five days a week and believes he needs to have large quantities of protein powder to build muscle and support his growth, which is costly. My reading suggests research into the efficacy of protein powder for teens is missing, so it may be a waste of money. Do you agree?

Answer:

Protein-supplement use among adolescents often indicates deeper body-image issues. A recent US study worryingly found that teens who use protein supplements for muscle building are more likely to adopt dangerous muscle-building behaviours, and were 2-5 times more likely to use steroids in the future. So, your concerns about your teenage grandson's use of protein supplements are warranted from a financial perspective as well as for his overall well-being.

Indeed, a study published in 2021 in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living found concerns about muscularity often framed protein supplement use among teenage boys.