Over a 13 month evaluation, 206 children under 12 years were treated for an eating disorder in Britain and Ireland. At the extreme end of the spectrum, one six-year-old girl was diagnosed with food avoidance, excessive exercising and fear of weight gain. Around 18% of cases identified were seen in boys.
Eating disorders commonly affect adolescents and young adults but until now it has been unclear how many young children are diagnosed and treated.
Puberty and body image are often to blame in these cases among the younger population. Not to mention the effect of skinny models and celebs. Even genetics plays a strong influence. But parents can detect these changes ? the experts suggest that children with eating disorders commonly start by cutting out favourite foods such as sweets and crisps and other signs include becoming withdrawn.
Gender is an issue. Eating disorders are more common in women than in men, but there has been a dramatic increase in the number of boys and young men who have developed the same eating disorders that their female peers experience; both anorexia and bulimia are seen.
Age does matter: while eating disorders have been known to either occur or recur as late as middle age, the bulk of eating disorder sufferers are younger, in their teens or early twenties.
Your chance of developing an eating disorder increases greatly if a family member also suffers from a disorder. You might think it would influence you in the opposite direction, but instead it sometimes makes it socially acceptable.
A person who has a mental disorder such as an OCD can also suffer an eating disorder, as controlling food and eating is another way to control the world around them. Similarly, there is an increased rate of eating disorders in women suffering from depression or anxiety.
Some athletes and exercise fanatics are at risk of developing eating disorders under the pretense that it will enhance their performance.
And then there are the societal pressures that impact your self image to a huge extent. If your mom or sister frequently remarks on your less-than-perfect body and hints that you could lose a few pounds, even with a teasing approach, things can take a terrible twist into an eating disorder that destroys your body.
If you happen to fall into any of the above categories, you should take steps to ensure that you won't fall victim to an eating disorder - or if you already suffer from one, prevent the condition from worsening. Ask your doctor what a healthy weight is for your body type and how best to maintain it.
Work on building your self esteem and confidence and try to avoid people who criticize you all of the time. Don't listen to these bad influences that are driving you to an eating disorder.
Don't get caught up in the dream of looking like the anorexic cover girl on the latest fashion magazine. Even the most gorgeous models will acknowledge that they are grateful for the photo retouching software that makes their bodies look so perfect.
Both Chester Ku-lea & Kim Archer are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Chester Ku-lea has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, fat burners and Gym. Chester is a health nutrition consultant and is the owner of - a provider of premium health nutritio. Chester Ku-lea's top article generates over 40500 views. to your Favourites.
Kim Archer has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health, Eating Disorder and Backpain. Kim Archer writes about . She is publisher of , whe. Kim Archer's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.