A recent study conducted at the University of Denver found that women who have sports anxiety are more likely to experience eating disorder symptoms than women who do not have the anxiety, or aren't involved in competitive sports.

"The study of 274 female college undergraduates examined whether differences in eating disorder symptoms exist between women depending on the level of their athletic-exercise activities. The participants also completed questionnaires about attitudes and behaviors related to eating disorders, self esteem and sports anxiety."

Though many eating disorder experts agree that exercise can boost a woman's self-esteem, competitive sports can cause fear and worry about performance, thus driving women to overcompensate for their anxiety through eating disorders and other unhealthy behaviors.

Read more: Compulsive Exercisers and the
Female Athlete Triad

Labels: anxiety, body_image, sports

Research published in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing found that 18 percent of teenagers admit to having an eating problem. The findings were the results of two health surveys completed a year apart by the same group of teenagers.

"...we noticed that students who reported suffering from anxiety earlier in adolescence were 20 times more likely to have ongoing eating problems,' says Lea Hautala of the Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic at the University of Turku, Finland."

The survey also found that students who were dissatisfied with their appearance developed recurring eating disorders only if they also struggled with anxiety. Source: Huliq

Labels: anxiety, body_image, eating_problems

It's well-known that anxiety disorders are more common among people with anorexia. But a team of researchers has found that childhood anxiety is not only a precursor to eating disorders, but may determine a disorder's severity.

"In general, the researchers found, women with a history of childhood anxiety exhibited 'more extreme personality traits' and attitudes - like perfectionism and obsessive tendencies related to food - than women without a history of early anxiety disorders."

The research team believes this newly discovered link emphasizes the importance of discovering and treating anxiety disorders early. Source: Parent Center

Labels: anorexia, anxiety, causes of eating disorders