Researchers from Britains 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: size 0, dieting, health_problems

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About 18% of teens in a Finnish study told researchers they have eating disorders. Those young people, most of whom were not overweight, were more likely to have psychological and health problems.

Lea Hautala from the Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic at the University of Turku surveyed 372 students, ages 15 to 17 years old. Among those with eating disorders, 70% had other health problems such as headaches; 47% suffered from anxiety; 31% were depressed; and 77% were unhappy with their appearances. Girls were twice as likely to have eating disorders as boys.

This study appears in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Labels: health_problems, psychology

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