|
DANGEROUSLY DAMAGING:
WHAT HAPPENS TO WOMEN WHO LIVE BY THE SCALE
Jennifer
Wider, MD
Society for Women's Health Research
July 21, 2010
With so much attention focused on
the obesity epidemic in the United States, eating disorders often receive less
of the spotlight. But don’t let that fool you.
Eating Disorders, a set of conditions in
which a person experiences severe disturbances in eating behavior, are
widespread in our country. Roughly five
to ten million American girls and women are currently battling eating
disorders. Studies have shown that
approximately 80 percent of American women are dissatisfied with their
appearance at one time or another.
According to statistics from the National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH) in Bethesda, Md., females are much more likely than males
to develop an eating disorder. They most
frequently appear during adolescence and young adulthood, but can show up at
any time.
The two main forms of eating disorders are
anorexia nervosa, or an extreme fear of gaining weight and relentless pursuit
of thinness; and bulimia nervosa, a condition characterized by eating a
significant amount of food (bingeing) and then ridding the body of the calories
by throwing up or using laxatives or diuretics (purging). A third type, known as “eating disorders not
otherwise specified (EDNOS)”, may incorporate several variations of anorexia
and bulimia with other characteristics which can include binge-eating without
purging, obsessive exercise and dietary rituals.
Eating disorders are often linked to other
psychological conditions. “Depression,
anxiety, and substance abuse are not uncommon among people with eating disorders,”
explains Marlene B. Schwartz, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and Co-Director of
the Yale Center
for Eating and Weight Disorders in New
Haven, Conn. Studies have shown that higher rates of
depression among women and girls may be associated with a tendency to become
more dissatisfied with physical appearance than their male counterparts.
Many medical conditions can result from
eating disorders and they should not be taken lightly. For example, anorexia can slow the heart rate
and clinically lower a person’s blood pressure, placing them at higher risk for
heart problems. Nutritional deficiencies
can lead to anemia, reduced muscle mass and light-headedness. Chronic starvation can lead to heart failure
and brain damage.
Bulimia can cause a host of other medical
conditions. For example, the acid in
vomit can destroy the enamel of the teeth and inflame and erode the esophagus.
Also, stomach and digestive issues from frequent purging are not uncommon in
bulimic patients. Compulsive exercising
can result in wear and tear injuries including shin splints, stress fractures,
and damage to muscles and joints.
So what can you do? There may be several
warning signs that a person could be developing an eating disorder, they
include:
- Food
avoidance: pushing food around on a plate or avoiding meals with families
and friends
- Change
in appetite
- Preoccupation
with food and calories
- “Hiding
behavior” - hiding the body under baggy clothes to disguise weight loss or
disappearing after a meal to purge
- An
overuse of scales to weigh themselves
Concerned parents should pay close
attention if their child is, “overly concerned with being fat, comparing
themselves to their peers, partaking in excessive exercise, or over-using the
internet to search for information
on calories, diet, etc.,” according to Nikki Gorman, MD, a pediatrician at
Village Pediatrics in Westport, Conn. These issues may be red flags or signal a
good time to speak with a health professional.
The treatment for eating disorders depends
on the extent of the problem. There are
often a host of underlying issues that need to be addressed and the treatment
will often have a multi-pronged approach which will focus on the person’s
physical, emotional and nutritional needs.
Gorman summarizes, “If we can intervene
early, it is usually possible to avoid costly treatment centers, and avoid some
of the morbidity associated with an eating disorder.” This is good news for any
parent and a step in the right direction in exposing the dangers of eating
disorders.
###
For more information
on the Society for Women’s Health Research please contact Rachel Griffith
at 202-496-5001 or Rachel@swhr.org.
The Society for Women’s Health Research
(SWHR), a national
non-profit organization based in Washington D.C.,
is widely recognized as the thought leader in women’s health research,
particularly how sex differences impact health. SWHR’s mission is to improve
the health of all women through advocacy, education and research. Visit SWHR’s
website at swhr.org for more information.
|
