eating disorders

Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are commonly associated with teenage girls, but experts say these illnesses are becoming increasingly common amongst the middle-aged.

Eating disorder clinics such as the Renfrew Center (with locations throughout the US) are seeing a rise in the number of older patients. The New York Times quotes a number of statistics, including:

I was completely shocked and horrified when I came across an article recently in BBC News, stating some parents are attributing their children's dietary foibles to an eating disorder, rather than simply bad behavior.

In the interview, Dr Su Laurent discusses how she spends a significant amount of her clinical time seeing healthy young children whose parents are convinced their child has something seriously wrong with them.

I doubt it. But according to a new report, body image problems and eating disorders are actually on the raise in male athletes and fitness addicts. And here's the ironic part. Experts believe these issues first pop up after a guy loses a few pounds and sees how much better he performs physically.

But a new study claims sugar can be addictive. At least it is in rats, and maybe even humans.

And just like drug-addiction, the problem is in our heads.

It's not always clear where the line is between a healthy weight-loss diet and an eating disorder. It's important to be aware of the facts about eating disorders, both to help those around you who might be ill (without you necessarily realising) - and to make sure that you set up healthy, not dangerous, habits in your own eating.

But there's a lot of confusion about eating disorders - people are often unsure what they are, and can even label illnesses such as anorexia nervosa as "faddy eating" or "attention seeking". Here's the facts, and how to get help if you or a friend is suffering.

The Sunday Times announced that John Prescott (former Deputy Prime Minister of the UK) suffered with bulimia for many years. The news quickly made national headlines. Prescott has spoken candidly about the illness, emphasizing that he wanted to reveal his struggle with bulimia in order to help others who have struggled on in silence.

When people think of an eating disorder - they usually think of an extremely underweight woman in her late teens or early twenties.

However, new research out of Australia shows a dramatic increase in disordered eating among those in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.

What's driving this?

Actress Keira Knightly continually denies that she suffers from Anorexia. She even went so far as suing a British tabloid paper in January.

This brings to light the issue of stigma based on body size and how a "too-thin" body brings on accusations of anorexia.

UK journalist Kate Spicer embarked on a six week journey of extreme dieting. "What does it take for a normal girl to reach size zero?" she asks.

The frightening piece serves as a cautionary tale.

A selection of news and not-news for all health-minded individuals.

British pediatricians have released figures showing the prevalence of eating disorders among children.

Over 13 months 206 children under 12 were treated for an eating disorder. One particular case is disturbing; one six-year-old girl presented to a paediatrician with food avoidance, excessive exercising and fear of weight gain but had not been diagnosed with anorexia because she was not severely underweight.

Last year during Fashion Week, Spain banned models with a BMI under 18 from participating. This year, the Health Ministry in Spain is charging ahead with a new program that will prevent mannequins under a size 6 (a Spanish 38) from being displayed in store windows.

Womens' sizes are also being standardized. 85,000 women across Spain, ages 12 to 70, will be measured in a special laser booth that can take up to 130 measurements in 30 seconds.

This study will help get a better idea of the shapes of women in Spain.

A few interesting bits and pieces.

A report recently came out stating that people with anorexia in the US need more help than they're getting from insurance companies.

Two BBC radio stations recently surveyed 25,000 men and women, asking them how they felt about their bodies (average age was 17-34). The results were somewhat discouraging:

29 year old Dave Nunley eats about 275 grams of grated cheddar cheese a day.

He has been eating this way since he was a toddler.

Thanks to the assistance of health experts Dave can "now eat an occasional bowl of Ready Brek or a bag of salt and vinegar crisps".

The spotlight on skinny models continues to spark debate and discussion. What exactly is skinny? Is it an issue? Is there really a link between media imagery and eating disorders?

Why bother focusing on thinness when an estimated 66% of Americans are either overweight or obese?

NEDA suggests as many as 10 million females and 1 million males have eating disorders - but their statistics are 10-15 years old.