Eating Disorders And Women Essay

The causes, affects and ultimate results of eating disorders have different impacts in men and women

There are many causes of eating disorders, there are even more effects. Each of these factors including results is impacted differently by each gender. Eating disorders affect individuals of all genders, shapes and sizes and are never a good thing. When someone hears the words “eating disorder” most people don’t know the affect the eating disorder truly has on their overall health as well as the emotional state of their family. Eating Disorders also known as (ED) have the highest death rate of any mental health illness in the world. Most people associate eating disorders with adult women but in truth it happens to many different

Women are more likely than men to be unsatisfied with their weight and as for men they tend to go towards binge eating (overeating) and over exercising for controlling and gaining weight. Males in sports like wrestling, dance and modeling tend to lean of a higher chance of attaining an eating disorder. Based on a questionnaire administered by NEDA “to 226 college students (98 males and 128 females) concerning weight, body shape, dieting, and exercise history, the authors found that 26% of the men and 48% of the women described themselves as overweight. Women fasted to reduce weight while men frequently exercised and binged. Again eating disorders happen at all different ages but for females and males “Peak risk for onset of binge eating occurred at age 16, whereas peak risk for onset of purging occurred at age 18”(Costin). Binge eating is more common in males and they binge to either gain weight meaning muscle and if they want to lose weight more likely then not they will purge