Eating Disorders: Not Just a Female Problem

Eating disorders affect millions of Americans both directly and as a result of watching a loved one intentionally inflict damage on their body via one of life’s most basic functions: consuming food. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimates that, in 2003, 90% of individuals with eating disorders were females between the ages of 12 and 25. However, eating disorders are increasing in prevalence among older females and males in general. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that hundreds of thousands of young boys may be affected by these disorders. Although it is important for parents, family, friends, and co-workers to continue to look for signs of eating disorders in daughters, female friends, and colleagues they should also realize that these problems may appear in their sons or other males, and seek prompt medical attention when they do to avoid the negative long-term physical and emotional consequences that may result.

Why do males develop eating disorders?

In a country that idolizes appearance, beauty, and fitness, it is easy for both men and women to feel insecure in their body image. Media images are filled with dangerously skinny, sexualized women and large, muscular men, both of which are usually not realistic. Yet because these body types are culturally accepted as models for perfection, many individuals aspire to look like they do, which can lead to obsessive behaviors surrounding eating and exercising. Additionally, participation in athletic activity and weight restrictions associated with certain sports may put a male at greater risk of developing an eating disorder. In some cases, people develop an eating disorder in an effort to feel a sense of control after a traumatic event or abuse situation in which they were victimized.

What eating disorders might a male develop?

SAMHSA identifies three types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa (obsessive food-related behaviors, avoiding food, and excessive exercise); bulimia nervosa (consuming large amounts of food and attempting to purge it via laxatives or vomiting); and binge-eating disorder (quickly consuming large amounts of food in private regardless of feelings of fullness). Although it is possible for a male to develop any of these disorders, research suggests that binge-eating disorder, in particular, is equally common in men as it is in women.

What are signs of an eating disorder?

• Dramatic fluctuations in weight; either gain or loss – or both
• Food-related rituals; hiding food
• Intense fear of being fat or weight gain
• Excessive exercise
• Use of laxatives and/or diuretics
• Inability to express feelings
• Difficulty eating in the presence of others
• Obsessive calorie counting and awareness of food intake
• Low self-esteem and unrealistic expectations for oneself
• Malnutrition, hair loss, fatigue, depression, low libido, low body temperature, dental problems, decreased blood pressure