A woman recently wrote into CNN’s “Expert Q&A” column, asking about eating disorders in small children. CNN’s Living Well Expert, Dr. Jennifer Shu, provided a response that included the following information:

[Sari Fine Shepphird, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and author of "100 Questions and Answers about Anorexia Nervosa"] reports that although the majority of new cases of anorexia are diagnosed between the ages of 13 and 18, about 10 percent of patients with eating disorders show an onset of their symptoms before age 10, and eating disorders have been reported in children as young as 5.

Recent studies show that it is increasingly common for young children to be on a diet and to express a fear of gaining weight and that even young kids may engage in unhealthy and potentially harmful diet behaviors.”

While an otherwise healthy child's "picky eating" is likely just a phase that will go away, there are many signs that can signal a potential concern. These include the unhealthy behaviors listed above as well as unexpected changes in weight, a preoccupation with one's weight and "feeling fat," hoarding food and persistent refusal of all but a few types of food.

Labels: children, diagnosis

Although 20 percent of people in Great Britain believe they have food allergies, fewer than 2 percent actually do, according to a new study from Portsmouth University.

• Dr. Carina Venter and her colleagues studied 1000 babies and found that half of their caretakers had cut out at least one food because of a perceived allergy
  
• Sophisticated allergy tests, however, found that the true rate was one in 25.
• Parents most commonly believe their children are allergic to milk, wheat, or peanuts.

"[Mothers] tend to put down every rash, tummy ache, diarrhea and cry to food allergy or intolerance," said Dr. Venter. "I sympathize with them. It seems reasonable to blame the food when an infant screams or turns red in the face after being fed it the first time."

The research team expressed concern that millions of people are unnecessarily restricting their diets and losing key nutrients. They may also be overlooking real medical problems that can look like allergies.

Labels: allergies, food, research

After suffering from eating disorders over the past three decades, a 43-year-old Canadian woman has gone public with her struggle and her decision to finally get help.

A Jan. 11 Abbotsford (British Columbia) News article by Vikki Hopes provided the following glimpse into the life of Carla Bartlett-Hitchings:

Carla’s self-worth had been eroded by an abusive environment. She thought she was fat and ugly, and she wanted to look like that model.

Purging made her feel good; like she was in control in a world that was otherwise supremely chaotic. Subconsciously, it was a form of self-abuse: She didn’t deserve better because she was so unloveable. …

Carla’s eating disorder – bulimia for most of her life, turning to anorexia in the last year – stems from a childhood riddled with abuse: emotional, physical, verbal and sexual.

Her parents were both alcoholic, and her mom suffered from what was later diagnosed as bipolar disorder. Carla would often hide in her closet, the only place she felt safe from the insanity of her home.

Once the eating disorder took hold, Carla couldn’t let go. It made her feel strong and empowered: “I finally have control. Look what I can do.”

“I don’t know why I’m not dead,” Bartlett-Hitchings said in the article. “Maybe it’s to encourage people.”

Labels: overcoming bulimia, overcoming_an_eating_disorder, self-image_issues, trauma

A new study from Rutgers University in New Jersey found that certain kinds of talk therapy works better than behavioral weight-loss treatment to help people with binge eating disorder.

Binge eating disorder includes episodes of out-of-control eating. A person might consume, for example, 10,000 calories or more at one sitting. In order to be diagnosed with binge eating disorder, the person must feel that he has no control over his eating episodes, and he must experience shame and regret after such an event.

• In the new study, Dr. Terrence Wilson assigned 205 men and women with binge eating disorders to either 20 sessions of interpersonal psychotherapy, 20 sessions of behavioral weight-loss treatment, or 10 sessions of guided self-help and cognitive behavioral therapy.
  
• There were no differences among the three groups in terms of improvements in the rates of binge eating episodes after treatment or six months later.
  
• However, two years later, the interpersonal therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy/guided self-help groups were significantly better in terms of their remission from binge eating.

The study appeared in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Labels: binge eating, therapy, treatment

Positive body image -- the degree to which a person accepts and appreciates his or her shape and size -- is an important predictor of whether that person will achieve healthy weight and nutrition goals.

A recent study from University of New South Wales and Syracuse University found that young women who conform to popular body images and ideals are more likely to have a negative image of their own bodies, and are at greater risk of eating disorders. "Conformity can be seen as an attempt to gain security in a social network," the study concluded. [Source: Long Island Group Exercise Examiner]

Rather than trying to conform to societal images, young women are encouraged to learn about their own bodies and what's normal or healthy for them. The super-thin super-model look isn't normal for most people, and trying to attain it can cause serious health problems.

Labels: body image, self-esteem

Historically, binge eating has been considered a symptom of psychiatric illnesses such as depression and anxiety. It is not always considered to be an illness by itself. But that may soon change, as doctors begin seeing more instances of binge eating in their patients.

"If it gains official recognition in the APA’s manual, binge eating disorder would become distinct from depression and anxiety. But that will not change the fact that binge eaters often suffer from other psychiatric disorders. Binge eaters also cross the line to and from anorexia and bulimia at times in their lives." [Source: The Morning Call]

In The Morning Call article, psychiatrist B. Timothy Walsh says that distinguishing binge eating disorder would not only help people define their illness, but also guide their treatment.

Labels: binge eating

When it comes to issues of distorted body image and eating disorders, studies and stories of how women are affected abound. Not so with men. Yet, men comprise at least ten percent of all eating disorder cases.

"Males struggle with eating concerns and, like their female counterparts, these disorders can take a tremendous toll on their lives …

Competition in sports that emphasize lean body shapes (cross country, diving, gymnastics) or larger body builds (football) may also influence the development of an eating disorder in males. Certainly, magazine ads of men with six-packs and arms the size of tree trunks can make any male feel inadequate. [Source: The Daily Vidette (Illinois State University)]

Men, like women, need to remember that bodies come in all shapes and sizes – not everyone looks like the guy in the magazine (and not everyone is supposed to). A focus on health, rather than size, weight, or muscle tone, can help both men and women stave off insecurity and body dissatisfaction.

Labels: eating disorders, men

According to a new report in the journal Eating Disorders, a binge eating diagnosis is dependent upon the following factors:

• Episodes of binge eating must occur on a regular basis
• The binges mush involve large amounts of food, such as the consumption of 10,000 to 20,000 calories at one sitting
• People with the disorder feel that they have no control over their eating habits
• The eating binges should be "shrouded in shame and secrecy"
  

Risk factors for binge eating disorder include being between 40 and 60 years old; having other eating disorders; having psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, and anger; a history of sexual abuse; and certain genetic attributes.

Symptoms include weight gain, cravings for sugar, headaches, sensitivity to temperature, low self-esteem, and despair about being caught up in a cycle of overeating followed by shame and guilt.

The article's authors suggest that treatment includes cognitive behavioral therapy, self-help support groups, weight control, eating low-sugar foods, and avoiding sugar, alcohol, and caffeine.

Labels: binge eating, risk factors, symptoms

In a Feb. 5, 2009, Calgary Herald article, reporter Michelle Magnan recounted conversations with five teens about pressures related to body image. As this excerpt indicates, the teens identified family pressures as among the more prevalent and destructive stresses they face:

• Lisa: With my friend, her mom really gets her down. She'll say, "What do you want for your birthday? Maybe we should get you a gym membership." I'm seriously surprised she hasn't had an eating disorder yet, because her mom puts so much pressure on her. And the more I talk about it, I know that a lot of people's moms say, "You should look a certain way," and they don't.

• Candace: I get it a lot from my mom all the time, like, "You should do this, you should go to the gym."And I say, "You know what? It's not my thing."And a lot of peers at school are really bad. They don't necessarily come out and say anything, but you can tell just by the way they look at you--the up and down glances.

• Alison: My mom goes between. She doesn't want to overdo anything, so she'll say, "Are you going to eat all that ice cream?" But then she'll say, "You didn't have a snack today. Why didn't you have a snack?" So it's walking a very fine line. Parents have a really hard time, I'm sure.

Many teenagers feel most pressured from family members to have a certain body shape. According to the teens who were interviewed by Magnan, family pressure outweighed any pressure they felt from seeing unrealistic images in the media and fashion industry.

Labels: body image, parents, pressures

The holiday season is over -- and now begins the post-holiday, diet-crazed season. For the next several weeks, we will all be bombarded with advertisements via TV, radio, billboards, newspapers, etc all promising to help us shed those unwanted holiday pounds.

A considerable effort is underway to minimize the impact that these media entreaties can have on adults and young people:

• The Boston Globe has reported that a 2007 study by the University of Missouri found that all women, regardless of weight, had a lower satisfaction with their own bodies after viewing fashion magazines for just three minutes.
• In France, legislation has been introduced that would require magazines to carry warning labels stating that they use digitally altered images.
• In the United States, the Dove company has launched its Campaign for Real Beauty which aims to help women and girls redefine "beauty."

Labels: dieting, media_influences

Researchers from Britain’s Bristol University found that teenage girls who diet in attempts to reach size zero may be at risk of developing long-term bone problems.

"Findings revealed Wednesday from the Children of the 90s Project, which followed a group of children for nearly two decades, shows that fat mass plays an important role in building bone, particularly in girls… an 11lb increase in fat mass was associated with an 8 percent increase in the circumference of the tibia (lower leg bone)." [Source: The Times of London]

The researchers used scanning techniques to look at the bone structures of more than 4,000 young people, and also measured their body fat. The influence body fat has over bone development was found to be 70 percent greater in girls than boys, revealing yet another potentially debilitating health threat associated with eating disorders.

Labels: dieting, health_problems, size 0

Model Jennifer Hawkins graces the cover of the February 2010 issue of the Australian version of Marie-Claire magazine -- and her nude, unaltered, photo is causing a stir.

A Jan. 5 article on the Australian stuff.co.nz provided the following insights into the controversy:

The 26-year-old wears only make-up on the cover of the February issue of Marie Claire, which supports the Butterfly Foundation. The organization provides help to Australians suffering from eating disorders and negative body image issues and their carers.

Foundation general manager Julie Parker, speaking on Radio 3AW today, said the photo, which apparently shows 'flaws' including a slightly dimpled thigh and a tiny crease on her waist, was intended to get the discussion on body image rolling.

"What we're talking about here is just one small part of the much wider spectrum of body image, self esteem and eating disorder issues and that small part is actually about digital enhancement and retouching of images," Ms Parker said.

Labels: body image, magazines, media_influences, models