Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Eating disorders

The average woman is 5’4″ tall, weighing about 145 pounds, and wears a dress size of 11 to 14. So why then, do so many young women aspire to obtain the unrealistic 6’0″ tall, 101 pound, size four body of the widely know Barbie doll?

In an attempt to achieve what they perceive to be the perfect body, many women turn to dieting and exercise. In some cases this focus can lead to the development of an eating disorder, and even death. Research documented by Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders Inc. (ANRED), a collection of eating disorder recourses, said about 1 percent of female adolescents have anorexia, 4 percent suffer from bulimia, and about 50 percent of people who have been anorexic develop bulimic patterns.

As described by Nova Online, anorexia nervosa is described as “the incessant pursuit of thinness, an intense fear of gaining weight, a distorted body image, and a refusal to maintain a normal body weight.”

Nova Online describes bulimia nervosa as “episodes of binge eating and purging that occurs an average of twice a week for at least three months. Binge eaters devour an excessive amount of food in a short period of time, during which they feel a general loss of control.” Bulimics may then vomit, exercise or use laxatives to get rid of the calories they just consumed.

Although anorexia and bulimia are the more widely known forms of eating disorders, they are not the only ones. One of the most common eating disorders includes binge eating disorder (BED). BED is a more recently described disorder in which a person binges similarly to bulimia but does not purge to avoid gaining weight. Like bulimics, those suffering from BED experience a lack of control and binge on an average of twice a week.

Although many people believe the majority of those suffering from an eating disorder suffer from anorexia, both bulimia and BED are more common than anorexia. According to ANRED, about 5 to 8 percent of the obese population suffers from BED.

Women are not the only ones who suffer from eating disorders. The number of men suffering from eating disorders appears to be increasing. In the 1980s it was determined that for every 10 to 15 women with anorexia or bulimia, there was one male. However, the American Journal of Psychiatry has new research findings that show for every four females with anorexia there is one male, and for every eight to 11 females with bulimia, there is one male.

A study released by the University of Central Florida in May 2004 said men who watched television commercials with muscular actors felt unhappy about their physiques. Researchers suggested that the need for muscularity within society could have a significant effect on eating disorders and steroid abuse in men.

ANRED discusses that much like the Barbie doll image targeted toward young girls, there are now many more action figures, such as Wolverine, whose images are targeted toward young boys. However, if Wolverine were life-size, his biceps would be 32 inches around, while the average male bicep measures 13 inches around.

Athletes, many of which appear to have lean, in-shape physiques, may actually suffer from eating disorders. ANRED describes athletes with eating disorders in saying “a person who wants to lose weight, get fit, excel in his or her sport, but then develops obsessive thoughts about food, and training, and ultimately losing control and ends up with a body and spirit ravaged by starvation, binge eating, purging, and frantic compulsive exercise.”

Participants in sports which emphasize appearance and lean bodies have a greater risk of developing eating disorders than sports which require muscle mass and bulk said ANRED. These sports include ballet, gymnastics, running, rowing and horse racing. Even wrestlers, who may be seen as strong and bulky, may starve themselves to reach a lower weight class, and then binge on carbohydrates before a match, after they have made weight.

In a study recorded by ANRED involving 695 male and female athletes, it was found that many athletes showed signs of bulimic attitudes and behavior. One-third of the group was preoccupied with food. Approximately one-quarter binged at least once a week. Fifteen percent thought they were overweight, despite the fact they were not. Almost 12 percent feared losing control, or actually did lose control, when they ate. More than 5 percent ate until they were gorged and nauseated.

In this same study, 5.5 percent vomited to feel better after a binge and to control weight. Almost 4 percent abused laxatives. Twelve percent fasted for 24 hours or more after a binge, and about 1.5 percent used enemas to purge.

“Another research project done by the NCAA looked at the number of student athletes who had experienced an eating disorder in the previous two years. Ninety-three percent of the reported problems were in women’s sports. The sports that had the highest number of participants with eating disorders, in descending order, were women’s cross country, women’s gymnastics, women’s swimming, and women’s track and field events,” according to ANRED. “The male sports with the highest number of participants with eating disorders were wrestling and cross country track.”

Disordered eating can have significant negative health effects for many athletes.

According to a study published in the 2006 American Journal of Sports Medicine, “female athletes who restrict calories to keep weight down seem to be vulnerable to leg pain, stress fractures, and other injuries that cause people to miss practice and competitions.”

For many female athletes, a significant decrease in body fat can lead to the absence of menstruation, which may result in caloric deficiencies, and decreased bone mass. If severe enough, this pattern can lead to what is known as the “female athlete triad,” a group of three related problems that include “eating disorders and low energy, menstrual disorders and absent periods, and weak bones or even osteoporosis, which until recently was seen primarily in post menopausal elderly women,” reported ANRED.

In a May 1997 Newsweek report, Exercise Physiologist Lew Lyons reported that “Women with well-defined belly muscles may have as little as 6 percent body fat. The healthy range is 15 to 23 percent. Menses stop when fat falls below 10 percent. The associated low levels of estrogen can lead to osteoporosis, even in 20-year-olds.”

Within the past 20 years, with the expansion of computers and the Internet, an entirely new aspect in the world of eating disorders has been created.

This is the world of pro-eating disorder communities and Web sites.

Simple searches on the Internet will reveal numerous pro-eating disorder Web sites. Many of these Web sites have warnings before you are able to enter the Web site which claims they are not trying to make people develop eating disorders, and they are simply a support community. Despite this caution, many of the sites contain tips for fasting, purging, how to trick others into thinking you don’t have an eating disorder, and lists of “safe foods.” These foods include things that are low in calories and fat, which they believe to be OK to eat.

Pro-eating disorder Web sites frequently contain links to what members refer to as “thinspiration.” Thinspiration may include photos of skinny and/or anorexic models, celebrities, song lyrics and quotes. Many pro-eating disorder Web sites create personas for their eating disorders, as an attempt to identify their disorder more like a person or a friend, rather than a disease. Names such as Ana and Mia are given to the terms Anorexia and Bulimia, and are frequently used by members while discussing their disorders.

In order to make their Web sites more of a community, many people who are pro-eating disorders began to wear specific colored bracelets to signify to others they have and support eating disorders. A red bracelet signifies anorexia, and purple signifies bulimia. Although each separate community may pr
oduce their own variation of bracelets, they are all basically the same, and are all meant to create a type of eating disorder pride.

A 2005 study conducted by Dr. Rebeka Peebles of Stanford University found that 40 percent of teenagers with eating disorders have visited pro-eating disorder Web sites. The study also found that 25 percent visited the sites regularly, and only 34 percent visited the sites to discuss how to overcome their disorder.

In an attempt to work against the media’s presentation of models as having the ideal bodies and to protect the health of models, the regional government of Madrid, Spain, which sponsors a “Fashion Week” show, has developed restrictions that will ban many models from walking the runway for the show. “Fashion Week” is a fashion industry event which lasts four to 10 days and is used to showcase designers’ fall or spring collections.

These restrictions were introduced after a 22-year-old Uruguayan model, Luisel Ramos, reportedly died of heart failure after coming off the runway during Fashion Week in Montevideo. The restrictions say that in order for a model to walk the runway, they must have a body mass index (BMI) of at least 18.

BMI is an indicator of the percentage of body fat on a person, and can be calculated using a person’s height and weight. As a result of this restriction, over 30 percent of models have been denied working at “Fashion Week.” The Center of Disease Control and Prevention indicates that a BMI of 18 is still considered underweight, and a normal BMI for adults is 18.5 to 24.9.

Although in the past eating disorders were viewed as a choice, they have come to be recognized and defined as diseases within the medical field. Without treatment, eating disorders can lead to severe medical and psychological complications, and even death.

Some of the more significant medical complications include cardiac arrest, kidney damage, loss of muscle mass, permanent loss of bone mass, anemia and low blood sugar. BED, which may lead to obesity, can also increase the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and bowel, breast and reproductive cancers.

Psychological problems that can result from eating disorders include depression, anxiety, compulsive and obsessive behaviors, feelings of isolation and extreme fear of discovery.

Many treatment options are available for people of all ages who suffer from eating disorders. Treatment options may include hospitalization to prevent death and other severe medical problems, therapy, group counseling, nutritional counseling and support groups.

If you or someone you know is suffering, or believes they may be suffering, from an eating disorder, treatment and information is available through the Mental Health Department at University Health Services.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All Massachusetts Daily Collegian Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *