‘Dangerous’ trend of ‘dry scooping’ pre-workout powder garners attention on TikTok
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“Dry scooping” — a “dangerous” behavior in which pre-workout supplement powder is consumed with sips of water instead of a full glass — was “extremely prevalent” on the popular social media app TikTok, according to researchers.
During a recent study, Ruth Lynn Milanaik, DO, a pediatrician at Northwell Health in New York, and colleagues found that videos featuring the emerging trend have accumulated more than 8 million “likes.”
“It is important to provide health care professionals with the most up-to-date information on trends in order to help them anticipate what they may be seeing in their office,” Milanaik told Healio Primary Care. “Giving physician insight on popular trends is imperative to doctors’ clinical practice and differential diagnosis.”
Pre-workout powders frequently have high concentrations of caffeine mixed with products including beta-alanine, l-citrulline and BCAAs. While the sale of pre-workout powders should be restricted to individuals aged 18 years and older, it has become “increasingly popular among teens,” according to the researchers.
Regardless of age, improper consumption of pre-workout may cause choking, accidental inhalation, overconsumption, injury and death, especially in those who are “sensitive to high caffeine content in these products,” Milanaik said.
The researchers analyzed 100 TikTok videos with the hashtag “#preworkout.” They compiled information regarding the videos’ number of likes, ways in which the pre-workout powder was ingested, number of servings and whether it was combined with other substances.
According to the findings, presented at the virtual AAP National Conference & Exhibition, 31% of the videos showed dry scooping, 11% showed users improperly preparing pre-workout supplements and 7% showed pre-workout being consumed via “other dangerous methods.” Only 8% of videos showed how to use pre-workout properly. When the researchers excluded videos that did not show pre-workout consumption, they found that 86% portrayed improper pre-workout use. The substances that were most frequently consumed with pre-workout were energy drinks, creatine/protein powder and alcohol.
Milanaik said the findings underscore the importance of physicians keeping “current with digital media trends.”
“While many of these trends may be dismissed as frivolous, they can have disastrous real-world consequences,” she said. “Monitoring of social media content is essential to ensure the safety of young viewers,” since “an informed physician can make up-to-date decisions based on information on how teens spend their free time.”
Milanaik said she and her fellow researchers learned about dry scooping through The Trend Initiative, a research program at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York whose work often appears in journals such as Current Opinion.
References:
Chow N, et al. Dangerous Challenge on “Dry Scooping” Pre-Workout Powder is Prevalent, Popular on Internet. Presented at: AAP National Conference & Exhibition; Oct. 8-11, 2021; (virtual meeting).
Research: Dangerous challenge on “dry scooping” pre-workout powder is prevalent, popular on internet. https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2021/research-dangerous-challenge-on-dry-scooping-pre-workout-powder-is-prevalent-popular-on-internet/. Published Oct. 8, 2021. Accessed under embargo Oct. 6, 2021.