According to a study, almost half of Australian teenagers had consumed some form of protein powder supplement.
In the study, conducted by the University of Victoria and published in BMC Pediatrics, found that protein supplement consumption among Australian adolescents was on the up as researchers believed that around a quarter of Australian adolescents were consuming protein supplements.
The 2017 study found that 42% of Australian boys aged 13-18 had consumed whey protein, 29% had previously consumed protein bars, and a further 29% had taken pre-mixed protein drinks [R].
A whopping 62% of the boys who hadn’t consumed protein powders intended to do so at some point in the future.
In America, 34.8% of high school students admitted to taking protein supplements [R].
Boys who practiced weight training were 3.8 times likelier to consume the supplements over boys who didn’t lift.
Almost all — 99.1%– of the boys surveyed practiced at least one sport, with a third practicing 2 sports. Aussie Rules Football was the commonest sport, followed by weight training.
Researchers said: “Two broad factors have been identified as being linked to supplement use – a desire to enhance appearance, or a desire to enhance performance.”
Australian Teenagers Getting Swole
The study sought to find what percentage of boys were willing to consume performance-enhancing drugs or supplements.
The background of the study read:
“The extent and implications of muscle building protein supplement use among adolescents is relatively unknown. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of protein powder, creatine, and anabolic steroid use in a sample of 14–16 year-old boys in Australia, and the predictors of actual use, and intentions to use protein powder.”
Aside from the use of protein powders, other boys had admitted to using Creatine and others had taken Anabolic Steroids.
According to the results:
“49.8% of boys reported current use of, and 62% intended to use protein powder; 8.4% used creatine, and 4.2% used anabolic steroids. Higher levels of drive for muscularity, participation in weight training, and playing a greater number of sports were significant predictors of higher current use and intentions to use protein powder, but age, BMI, body esteem, and ethnicity were not.”
The study concluded:
“Prevalence of muscle building supplement use was relatively high among this adolescent population. This research has implications for intervention and prevention programs to educate young boys about muscle building supplements to reduce negative physical and psychological health effects of their use.”
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