Susan Barry knows all too well that eating disorders don't affect only girls and women. Her son died of anorexia at the age of 22.

"About 10 percent of the eight million people in the United States who have an eating disorder are men, though many of them go undiagnosed and suffer in silence, according to Judy Teffer of the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders."

Awareness of male anorexia is on the rise, thanks in large part to people like Barry who are willing to share their experiences. Barry currently writing a book about her son's battle with anorexia and poor body image, which started when he was in the eighth grade. Source: The Flint (MI) Journal

Labels: diagnosis, men, support

Because eating disorders primarily affect women, relatively little time has been spent trying to understand how the disorders express themselves in - and affect - men. The information that does exist seems to indicate that eating disorders and body image issues look very different in men than in women.

"According to Dr. [Peter} Rowan, there are also many men who have an unhealthy relationships with food who don't fit the diagnostic criteria - which are, of course, designed for women. For instance some men are obsessed with fitness, but not necessarily because they are trying to change their body shape. Some may, for example, become addicted to exercise in an attempt to live longer and avoid coronary heart disease."

As a result of these concerns, some men may develop disordered eating habits. The unique circumstances surrounding men's attitudes toward food and body image make diagnosing eating disorders difficult - but these difficulties don't mean that the disorders themselves don't exist. Source: Medical News Today

Labels: body_image, exercise, men

It's always been viewed as primarily a female problem: an obsession with weight and appearance that leads to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. But an increasing number of men are fighting similar battles.

"[Sam] Lample said in males, there is more of a focus on size than weight. He said some males will obsess over becoming muscular or 'ripped' like Hollywood A-List men... Men are starting to experience the same type of media-related pressure for appearance and body shape as women have for some time..."

Because the disorders in men often don't involve weight loss, they can be deceptive. Symptoms in men look different, and are typically expressed through excessive exercising and use of potentially-harmful substances - such as steroids - to increase muscle mass. Source: ABC Channel 15 (Phoenix, AZ)

Read more: Eating Disorders and Mental Illness and Eating Disorders in Boys and Men

Labels: body_image, men, muscles

London's Fashion Week will again feature size zero models. But it won't be just the women who are super-skinny. The newest trend among male models is now "size zero" as well, and it has the medical community and eating disorder charities concerned.

"A spokeswoman from the charity Beat said: 'There does seem to be a growing trend towards men's clothes being designed for the slimmer male physique, and we're certainly aware of more men with eating disorders.'"

Though the trend started a few years ago, it's been gaining popularity, which is why so many in the medical community are concerned. Read more at NZHerald.com.

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Labels: fashion, men, modeling