Young men who think they need bigger muscles could be suffering from 'reverse anorexia'



A frightening new trend among sportsmen - known as reverse anorexia - is being studied by scientists.



The disorder - which involves gaining a lot of weight - can lead to premature death.



Paul Russell of Bolton University is monitoring 200 young rugby players over three years and will look at the pressures they face to bulk up too fast.

Mr Russell said young rugby players faced enormous pressure to bulk up their muscle mass (posed by models)

Muscle dysmorphia, sometimes called reverse anorexia nervosa, is a disorder where a person becomes obsessed with the idea they are not muscular enough.



Sufferers often believe they are skinny when they are actually above average in terms of muscle mass. It is a relatively new condition but the prevalence is thought to be increasing.



Muscle dysmorphia can leave sufferers vulnerable to a range of psychological, biological, and environmental risks including depression, heart failure, renal failure, and dehydration.

The sports psychologist believes the condition can be particularly damaging for young rugby players, whose determination to make the first team can lead to them turning to extreme methods of gaining muscle as they try to 'make weight'.



'These young players will be aged between 17 and 19 and nowhere near fully grown or ready to deal with a 16 stone adult, first-team player,' he said.



'But the pressures to get into the first team are huge and to do that you have to make weight.



'Muscle dysmorphia can also lead to extreme dieting, exercise addiction and the use of anabolic steroids that have been associated with the premature death of several bodybuilders.'