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The old adage may be that the image says a thousand words, but when it comes to glossy images published on social media, it becomes increasingly clear that they tell only half of the story.
This is especially true with regard to the legion of so-called fitness instagrammers, or "Fitfam", whose gobsmacking #quadgainz and astonishing #transformationtuesdays can give even the most assertive gymnastics rabbit to the gymnasium. But what these photographs do not show is the negative impact that the double stress of overtraining and malnutrition can have on a person's long-term health.
Take Nathalie Lennon, for example. Nathalie, a 24-year-old fitness woman who posts her daily workouts and progress photos on Instagram (where she has more than 56,000 subscribers, like @nat_tilly) was part of her daily routine as much as heavy weights and broken interval routines in the gym.
Last year, however, Nathalie received catastrophic news after a visit to a dietitian, revealing that she was in the risk category for early osteoporosis. His passion for fitness was made at the expense of his long-term health.
"I was so focused on my physical appearance that I completely neglected my bones and my own health in general," she told Health & Living.
At the end of his degree in Earth Sciences a few years ago, like any student, Lennon was starting to feel the effects of a diet mainly based on fast food and take-away meals.
"I just wanted to improve my health and fitness. It was just the moment Instagram became popular. It all started quite funny and light. Over time, I began to observe physical progress and my passion for health and fitness fascinated me. After leaving the university, Nathalie even spent several months saving money to fund a personal trainer qualification.
Thanks to this, her Instagram account really took off and Lennon admits that she began to crave the attention and admiration that inspired her online presence. "My Instagram account was just my own accountability tool, but then it became a kind of commercial tool," she says.
Indeed, Lennon freely admits that she became "obsessed". "The more I started to connect to other people online, the less my health worried me, the more my physical appearance touched me. Passion has become an obsession.
At the end of 2016, the Dublin native upgraded her training when she decided to participate in a physics competition. These notoriously competitive competitions involve weeks of "preparation", with an intensive training program and a restrictive diet.
"It seemed that all the other personal trainers online had participated in such a contest and that their advertising was themselves," she said. "I have not done everything I can to eliminate the food groups, but it's obviously a very restrictive way of life when you go on a diet for one of these competitions. It instills a negative-minded frame against certain forms of food. You forget how much they are needed for health in general. I have forgotten to make sure to include all the food groups in my diet. "
At the end of the competition, Lennon admits that she looked "too small and lean". Realizing that she needed professional advice on her diet and nutrition, she consulted a dietitian in May 2017. At the meeting, she jumped on the body composition scale, which gives readings on the percentage body fat, weight, metabolic age, muscle mass and bone density.
It is shocking to note that Lennon's bone density was well below the expected average for a woman of her age: the scale indicated 2.1 g / cm3, compared with 2.9 g / cm3 on average.
It was the epiphany that Lennon needed to break his obsession with diet and fitness. "The dietitian was shocked, it was clear. And it scared me so much that I could not believe that I was only 23 years old and that I had been exposed to a risk of osteoporosis. My personal training career would have been over if I had a broken leg or hip, "she says.
Dublin's General Practitioner Dr. Sinead Beirne points out the negative impact of a restrictive diet and an extreme exercise program on long-term health.
Teenage girls can become very aware of their appearance and obsessed with losing weight or losing weight, she adds.
"They are strongly influenced by the people they see online who are not necessarily qualified to give advice on diet. There are so many fad diets that avoid groups of whole foods, such as carbohydrates or dairy products, "she says.
"Yet these are the critical years to lay the foundation for bone strength later in life. Between 9 and 18 years, you need five servings of dairy products each day, while for adults, it is recommended to consume three servings a day. It's so much more important at a young age. "
Beirne does not have time for any fad diet. "I think it's total nonsense. Really, it's all about essentials, eat a normal, healthy and balanced diet. Eating well and all that, personally, I think it's the people who make a lot of money. Certainly, there is no harm in people eating more things like blueberries and nuts, but eliminating whole food groups is not necessary and can be dangerous. "
Caoileann Murphy, a dietitian and research fellow at the School of Public Health, Physical Therapy and Sport Science at University College Dublin, agrees.
"Cutting any food group increases the risk of nutritional deficiencies," she says. "There is a lot of noise around nutrition and I think that as dietitians we have a responsibility to shout a little louder with evidence-based nutritional advice."
Avoiding dairy has become more and more popular, especially among girls and young women of school age, says Murphy. This may be due to various reasons (ethical, cultural, religious, preferences, etc.), but this is often due to general misinformation around dairy products, such as the misconception that dairy products make you fat or cause acne, she explains.
"If girls simply cut dairy products and do not adequately replace them with other sources of calcium (and protein), this could hinder the maximum accumulation of bone mass and put them at risk. increased osteoporosis later in life. As such, I think we need greater education in this group to dispel these misconceptions about dairy products and to explain how a sufficient calcium intake can be obtained from sources other than the dairy products if the person chooses to avoid dairy products. "
According to Dr. Beirne, although some people may need to avoid dairy products or look for alternatives because they are lactose intolerant, this is far less common than would advocates of some diets at the fashion.
"There is only a small percentage of people who are really lactose intolerant."
Restrictive diets become even more dangerous when they are combined with an obsessive approach to exercise, she adds. "I remember one case that really struck me. I saw a girl in her twenties who arrived with unusual pain around her hips. I sent her for an X-ray and an MRI and it turned out that she was suffering from several fractures. It was a shocking report for a girl and it turned out that this girl was suffering from osteoporosis. She had a history of eating disorder, but had become obsessed with running and she had to stop to start a treatment for osteoporosis. "
Women should be aware of other risk factors, such as family history of the disease, said Dr. Beirne. If they are concerned, they should ask their GP to direct them to a DXA scanner or bone density.
"Young girls and young women are at such a high risk that it is the skeleton with which they will be stuck all their life. You can try to treat osteoporosis, but you will have to deal with complications for life. "
Lennon is keen to share his edifying story, especially in anticipation of World Osteoporosis Day this Saturday. In collaboration with Dr. Beirne, she is collaborating with the National Dairy Council, in partnership with the Cappagh Hospital Foundation, on the "Mind Your Bones" awareness campaign. educate consumers about the importance of bone health throughout life
Her Instagram page is now focused on body-positivity messages and illustrates her efforts to contrast her previous lifestyle with the much more comprehensive approach she's currently taking in regards to health and well-being.
"I listen a lot more to my body and my diet is much more varied, with different sources of carbohydrates and vegetables.
"I make sure to eat several servings of dairy products each day and take a calcium supplement to ensure my bones are healthy where they should be."
"Building bone density is very difficult, but it can be done. I fell in love with my training. "
⬤ Osteoporosis weakens and weakens the bones, so that they break easily, even as a result of a minor fall, a lump, a sneeze or a sore. A sudden movement. It is often not diagnosed until a fracture occurs.
Fractures caused by osteoporosis can pose a life-threatening and a major cause of long-term pain and disability.
⬤ Although women are more likely to develop osteoporosis, it also affects men and even children.
⬤ Osteoporosis is more common in white or Asian women over the age of 50, but osteoporosis can occur in almost all people, at any age.
⬤ At present, it is estimated that in Ireland, 300,000 people are suffering from osteoporosis.
⬤ One in four men and one in two women over the age of 50 will develop a fracture due to osteoporosis during their lifetime.
Osteopenia is the early stage of osteoporosis. Osteopenia exposes a person to the risk of developing osteoporosis.
⬤ Also known as bone density scanning, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA or DEXA scanning) is used to measure the density of your bones. This test is currently the most accurate and reliable way to assess the strength of your bones and your risk of fracture.
⬤ World Osteoporosis Day is Saturday, October 20th. See mindyourbones.ie for more information.
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