Why New York State Just Banned the Sale of Muscle Building Supplements to Minors

“The purpose of this law is to put some basic guardrails in place to protect children,” says S. Bryn Austin, Ph.D., professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.

Austin has conducted research on children and supplements and is also featured in Flex Generation, a new documentary by Men’s Health which examines the intersection of social media, supplements, and body dysmorphia in adolescent boys.

“Most parents and young people have no idea how poorly regulated these products are or how dangerous they can be,” says Austin. “For the state to put these age restrictions on the sale of muscle building supplements sends a message to parents, coaches and young people to step back and ask, ‘Do I really know what’s in this pill or powder?’ ‘”

It’s true: Muscle building and weight loss supplements don’t need to go through FDA review to prove safety before they hit store shelves or appear in every social media ad.

In Flex generation, Men’s Health conducted numerous in-depth interviews with boys who have suffered from body dysmorphia, doctors who treat the most severe cases, and researchers who sound the alarm about minors and supplements.

New York’s ban is not without complications, there is no list of specific ingredients that cannot be sold to minors. Companies that break this law can be fined for selling products that include creatine, green tea extract, and raspberry ketone, but there are many more “muscle builders” and “fat burners” than those on the market, which can make the application difficult.

However, some experts believe that their progress.

“My initial reaction is that I think it’s a step in the right direction,” says Brian St. Pierre, RD, CSCS, director of nutrition at Precision Nutrition and another expert featured in Flex generation. “There are too many products on the market from too many shady companies that, at the very least, have ineffective ingredients and, at worst, include dangerous, unlisted compounds that significantly affect the health of anyone, but especially developing teenagers” .

Of course, banning the sales still doesn’t solve the bigger problem of social media that is releasing images that can leave guys especially vulnerable to thinking they’re not ripped enough, not skinny enough, or not strong enough.

And supplement trade organizations are already reversing the ban. The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) announced on April 22 that a federal judge in New York ruled that the association has the right to sue.

“We will continue to pursue all available legal avenues to challenge this law and continue to believe that it unfairly restricts consumers’ access to legitimate and beneficial health products and infringes on businesses’ rights to engage in lawful commerce,” said Steve Mister, President and CEO of CRN. in a statement. (The gentleman also appears in Flex generation.)

St. Pierre says that, in his opinion, something like New York’s ban has become necessary. “Many teens are not getting their guidance from qualified sources, especially with the rise of social media influencers. Also, the risks have been growing, with companies marketing to this audience that they know is hungry for this kind of of promises”.

Austin agrees that it’s a good first step.

“New York lawmakers have taken a bold and necessary step to protect children from predatory companies that seek to profit from them at the expense of children’s physical and mental health,” says Austin. “It’s time for other states to follow suit.”

Bottom line: There’s more to come.

Flex generation debuts in the summer of 2024.