“Bulk and cut” diets associated with symptoms of eating disorders and muscular dysmorphism

Studies of anorexia, bulimia, and obesity have found that nearly half of men and one in five women, transgender, and gender-nonconforming participants have experienced a “bulk-and-cut” cycle in the past 12 months.

“Bulking and cutting” — a nutritional technique characterized by alternating periods of consuming excess calories (bulk) and restricting calorie expenditure (cutting) in order to optimize lean muscle mass growth and reduce body fat — is a practice that aligns itself with the current Body ideals. It is particularly prevalent among adolescents and young adults, particularly in the fitness community and those who strive to achieve a more muscular and toned physique.

Analyzing data from more than 2,700 Canadian adolescents and young adults, the researchers found that engaging in bulking and cutting was associated with a greater desire to gain muscle in all groups of participants, highlighting the link between this diet and the desire to changing one’s own body emphasizes .

“Bulking and cutting is a common practice in the fitness community and is made popular by social media,” says lead author Kyle T. Ganson, Ph.D., MSW, assistant professor in the Factor-Inwentash School of Social Work at the University of Toronto. “Given the body ideals that focus on muscle mass and thinness in both boys and men, it is not surprising that this diet was prevalent in our sample, but it should also be noted that girls, women, transgender, and gender-matched participants did not confirm , also face unique pressures to conform to certain body types. For girls and women, this ideal transitions from the thin ideal to a toned and fit ideal.”

Few studies, however, have examined and characterized how one engages in bulk and cut cycles, or whether this diet method is related to muscle pursuit and eating disorders and the psychopathology of muscular dysmorphism.

“Our results also showed that bulking and cutting engagements in men and women in the study were associated with symptoms of eating disorders as well as muscular dysmorphia, which is characterized as a pathological pursuit of muscle gain,” says Ganson. “These findings are particularly noteworthy given the documented increased prevalence of eating disorders and related behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The study highlights the importance of raising awareness of this unique method of nutrition, which may go unnoticed by healthcare and public health professionals.

“It’s important that health professionals look for a variety of dietary practices that may be harmful to young people, not just clinical eating disorder behaviors like food restrictions,” says Ganson. “We need to continue researching these forms of muscular behaviors to better understand them and implement effective strategies to protect the health and well-being of young Canadians.”

The study was published in Eating and Weight Disorders – Studies in Anorexia, Bulimia, and Obesity.