Doctors warn of the rise in the number of men suffering from ‘bigorexia’

By
James Nye

PUBLISHED:

05:18 GMT, 18 August 2013

|

UPDATED:

07:09 GMT, 18 August 2013

Health professionals are warning of the growing and potentially deadly obsession with body building among men - labeling the trend 'bigorexia'.

As many as 45 perent of men are believed to suffer from muscle dysmorphia or bigorexia at one point in their lives and the supplements used to build this muscle can potentially lead to kidney and liver damage.

Mesmerized by magazine covers of well-toned men, recent research has revealed that men are insecure about their weight and body image and go to obsessive lengths down the gym to change this fact.

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Bigorexia: Alfonso Moretti explained how he became obsessed with increasing the size of his muscles

'About 45 percent of men are dissatisfied with their body image. 1 in 10 people who are diagnosed with an eating disorder is a man,' said Dr. Michele Kerulis the director of sports health psychology at the Adler School of Professional Psychology.

The desire to bulk-up left one trainer, Alfonso Moretti struggling to function as he became fixated on his body and muscles.

Alfonso eventually had surgery after his obsessive body building caused him a neck injury

Obsessive: Moretti said that he caused himself to become compulsive about his weight and body

'It takes over your life, so every decision you make becomes about the workout and how your body looks. I used to track and weigh every single ounce of food that went in my body, I used to wake up a 3 o'clock in the morning to drink protein shakes, I never missed a workout, ever, ever, ever,' said Alfonso to CBS New York.

Dr. Kerulis said that men of all ages are falling victim to the condition and the effects are not just physical.

'This obsession can start quickly or it can begin over a period of time. We see psychological abnormalities including irritability, angry outbursts, which sometimes people would call a 'roid rage,' we see depression sometimes mania,' said Kerulis.

It was this desire to become as well defined as he could that set Alfonso's life off the rails.

'I can remember as young as 13, 14 looking at some of these muscle magazines, and I was conditioned to think that's what a man looked like so big shoulders, big legs, just big muscles with veins everywhere,' said the personal trainer.

Recovery: Alfonso has now recovered and treats his exercise as a means to become healthy not to alter his body shape

Physically pushing himself to the point where he needed surgery was the wake up call that Alfonso needed.

'I finally came to a revelation, only after 11 or 12 years because I had neck surgery,' explains Alfonso.

'I had major neck surgery. I had ruptured a disc in my neck, and it basically paralyzed me on the right side of my body.'

Dr. Selene Parekh also warned of the internal damage that bigorexia eventually can cause.

'So individuals who have 'bigorexia,' a lot of them tend to use supplements and if you, you overdose on these supplements, without having a balanced diet you can develop kidney and liver failure, and as that happens you may need a liver or kidney transplant or your could eventually die,' said Parekh.

Now recovered, Alfonso is now working to encourage other men to have a healthy body image and to try realistic workouts.

The comments below have not been moderated.

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What IS the fixation with appearance, male and female!! I check in the mirror as seldom as practicable and get on with life. I'm 'ordinary' lookswise, and, at the end of the day, glad of it. No amount of training, expensive clothes or plastic surgery would change that (even if I could afford/wanted to waste the money/time). My friends and partner like me, not the gift wrap. How many people have been disappointed when they opened an attractively wrapped present!

usednurse
,

Borders, Scotland,
18/8/2013 08:33

Ha I now understand when my workout buddy spends nearly the whole time admiring himself all too much in the mirror with the moans included. Don't obsess with the lifts because then you just look risk looking like an over done cloud and only a certain type will be attracted to you. Keep it healthy and athletic! effortless look is better

Imogen
,

Sydney, Australia,
18/8/2013 08:29

If most men had a real job doing proper manual labour instead of poncing about in an office sat on their backsides all day, they wouldn't have the energy to get bigorexia.
If you work hard as I do, you don't need the gym.

Jimmn
,

Blackpool, United Kingdom,
18/8/2013 07:50

'Bigorexia' = Big wrecks. Indeed.

DrMallard
,

West Palm Beach FL USA,
18/8/2013 07:11

The scourge of the 21 century : being deeply dissatisfied with how you think others perceive you, and then becoming totally fixated on a quick fix remedy you found that you believe will change that perception. Bigorexia being just one of the many pursuits people undertake. The addiction is in proportion to the dissatisfaction you feel.
At 73 I have given up chasing these phantoms and resigned myself to accept the pain that I feel from being just ordinary me.

chasdavy
,

ilford, United Kingdom,
18/8/2013 07:11

As if 45% of men ever workout. Bigorexia. What a laugh.

JackinFtLaud
,

Davie_Florida, United States,
18/8/2013 06:51

I suffer from 'bigorexia' but my body is quite normal. Come on, girls... come and get me!

Rollo Tomassi
,

Bangkok, United Kingdom,
18/8/2013 06:44

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