Adolescent boys who read certain magazines are more likely to develop athletica nervosa, a newly recognized medical condition. Sufferers exercise to excess in order to achieve a perfectly muscular body.

Researchers at Great Britain's Winchester University studied young men ages 18 to 36 and found that the more men's magazines they read, the more likely they were to suffer from athletica nervosa. A study from the University of Illinois found that computer gaming magazines influenced boys as young as 8 years old to get into bodybuilding. Another study from the University of Florida revealed that boys' perceptions of the ideal male body has changed toward an extreme muscular ideal over the past 10 years.

"Adolescent males are increasingly experiencing body dissatisfaction, engaging in disordered eating and using anabolic steroids and untested dietary supplements to control their weight and gain muscle," said Dr. Magdala Labre, who conducted the Florida study. "These behaviors have serious long-term health consequences."

Labels: body_image, complusive_exercise, ideals