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Men's body shape Page 2

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Key facts about body shape and men

Differences between men and women's body shapes
For women, body fat is the critical issue. For men both fat and muscle tend to be equally important. For a thin man it is quite possible to be too thin and too fat at the same time in the sense that he has both less muscle and more fat than he would like. As a result of the motivation to reduce fat and increase muscle men's weight-change strategies are not always as healthy as they might be (steroid use and other muscle enhancers for example).

Key facts about body shape and menKey facts about body shape

  • Men are catching up with women in their dissatisfaction over body shape.

  • Men's body image is still less negative than women but underweight men experience most problems.

  • Men and women share the same problem in the relationship between body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem.

  • Anorexia and bulimia are still fairly uncommon in men but young men are most prone.

  • Men are most likely to use anabolic steroids in their quest for greater muscle mass.

  • Gay men are most likely to experience poor body image, to engage in unhealthy eating and abuse steroids.

    • At the end of the day there is very little men can do about their height, but body shape, posture, general health and fitness can all be enhanced and contribute towards a healthy lifestyle and attractiveness.

    Article updated 01/30/2006

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