2013 Ethnopharmacology and male bodybuilders' lived experience with consuming sports nutrition supplements in Canada

Sport in Society

Volume 16, Issue 9, October 2013, Pages 1105-1119

(Article)

Bailey, B.J. 

 

Department of Health, Aging, and Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada 

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Abstract

In recent years, the availability of sports nutrition supplements has expanded from niche to mainstream and online environments in a largely unregulated marketplace in Canada. For bodybuilders, consuming these products is a normative practice. In spite of the proliferation of supplements and diversity in which masculine ideal types are constructed, the experiences of male bodybuilders who use supplements have drawn little academic attention. This article examines the impact that lived experience has for 32 male bodybuilders in interpreting physical cues and assessing risks associated with these ergogenic aids sold legally in Canada. Examined through a phenomenological lens, male bodybuilders in this study developed an ethnopharmacological understanding of supplement consumption. They privileged not only their first-hand experiences with supplement consumption, but also those of other trusted bodybuilders over other sources of information including warnings issued by government about the 'dangers' of consuming certain products. © 2013 Taylor & Francis.

ISSN: 17430437Source Type: Journal Original language: English

DOI: 10.1080/17430437.2013.790890Document Type: Article

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  Bailey, B. J.; Department of Health, Aging, and Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; email:baileybj@mcmaster.ca
© Copyright 2013 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.