There hasn’t yet been much research into the best way to treat MD. The results of this study suggest that MD may have been developed as a coping mechanism for the trauma. However, after they had experienced the assault, all 10 had MD and 7 began using steroids. Two of the women had experienced muscle dysmorphia before the assault. MD is thought to be fairly rare among women but more common in bodybuilders and weightlifters.Ī small 1999 study examined a group of 10 female bodybuilders who had previously experienced sexual assault. The researchers found that studying dietetics was significantly associated with eating disorder traits and studying exercise and sport sciences was significantly associated with MD traits.
(The biology students were the control group.) They found that 17 percent of the participants were at risk of having MD and 33.9 percent were at risk of having an eating disorder.Ī 2014 study examined the prevalence of eating disorders, orthorexia, and MD in three groups of university freshman who were studying dietetics, exercise and sport sciences, or biology. Athletes who lifted weights to change the appearance of their bodies were at higher risk than those who focused on improving performance.Ī 2015 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research examined the prevalence of MD in a group of 648 people with an average age of 29.5 who regularly lifted weights.Competitive athletes were more at risk than noncompetitive athletes.Men were at a significantly higher risk of developing MD than women.A 2013 study examined the risk of developing MD in competitive and noncompetitive male and female athletes. People with MD commonly have higher body mass indexes and more muscle than the average person because they usually engage in muscle-building activities. It’s thought that bodybuilders and other people who lift weights are at a higher risk than the general population.
Existing studies have presented estimates anywhere from 1 to 54 percent of men. Since there are no well-established criteria (or best practices) for diagnosis in a research setting, it isn’t clear how prevalent MD is in the general population. Research suggests that MD is much more common among men than among women. Who’s at risk of developing muscle dysmorphia?