A: Absolutely. Eating disorders are often thought of as a female problem, but they affect males as well. While these conditions are much more commonly diagnosed in women, the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) estimates that 10 million men in this country will develop an eating disorder.
There are three main types of eating disorders, all characterized by extreme attitudes toward food:
- Anorexia nervosa is usually rooted in a distorted body image. A person will severely restrict their caloric intake for fear of gaining weight, even if they’re underweight or emaciated.
- Binge eating is marked by episodes of overeating, accompanied by feelings of shame and loss of control.
- Bulimia nervosa involves periods of binge eating followed by extreme efforts to avoid weight gain such as purging or intense workouts.
Eating disorders are triggered by a combination of factors: biological, psychological, and social. “Both [men and women] are trying to obtain the culturally ideal body that is often portrayed in the media,” says clinical psychologist Lauren Muhlheim, PsyD. “But while women with eating disorders wish to be thinner, men are more likely to feel pressure to be more muscular.”
In a study published last year in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital found that nearly 18 percent of adolescent boys were extremely concerned about weight and physique.
“Clinicians may not be aware that some of their male patients are so preoccupied…that they are using unhealthy methods to achieve the physique they desire, and parents are not aware that they should be as concerned about eating disorders and an excessive focus on weight and shape in their sons as in their daughters,” says lead author Alison Field, ScD, in a statement.
“Working out and bodybuilding and eating healthy are culturally desirable behaviors, [so] men with eating disorders often don’t recognize they have a problem or they may hide it,” Muhlheim says.
Men and women share many warning signs for eating disorders, such as a refusal to eat or be seen eating, a preoccupation with weight and body image, and difficulty knowing when they’re really hungry. Specific signs to look for in men include compulsive exercise to tone muscles such as lifting weights, low testosterone, and decreased sex drive.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon