A study from the University of Texas and Stanford University School of Medicine has revealed that girls who use drastic measures to lose weight are more likely to become obese.

For the purposes of this study, "drastic measures" included excessive exercise, radical diets, appetite suppressants, laxatives, and vomiting.

Writing in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Dr. Eric Stice noted that the girls in the study may have miscalculated the amount of food they were eating and the extent to which they were exercising.

Labels: exercise, weight_gain, teens, girls, obesity

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A growing number of experts believe that parental involvement improves a teenager's ability to recover from an eating disorder. This philosophy represents a dramatic change from previous prevailing attitudes about teens and eating disorders.

The thinking about the causes of eating disorders and their treatment has come full circle, [Dr. Ovidio] Bermudez said. Many years ago, experts blamed eating disorders on controlling mothers and distant fathers, among other theories. But today they generally concur that the disorders are not due to those factors. (Source: KTVN News, Nevada)

A recent study involving 80 teens with bulimia found that recovery rates were twice as high among those who had family support. Other studies have found recovery rates as high as 75 in teenagers whose family supported them through their struggle with anorexia.

Labels: support, parents, teens

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Researchers at Saint John's University in Minnesota have found that teenagers may use vegetarianism as a cover for eating disorders. The study appears in the latest edition of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

In a research venture called Project EAT-II: Eating Among Teens, [nutritionist Ramona] Robinson-O'Brien and her team surveyed 2,516 young Minnesotans, ages 15 to 23. ... Approximately 20 percent of the vegetarians turned out to be binge eaters, compared with only five percent of those who had always eaten meat.

The survey also found that 25 percent of the vegetarians admitted to engaging in extreme weight-control measures like taking diet pills or forcing themselves to vomit. Though some teenagers do become vegetarians in an effort to eat better or to protect animals, parents should be attentive to symptoms that may indicate an eating disorder.

Source: Dallas Morning News

Labels: teenagers, causes of eating disorders, teens, eating_habits, eating_problems, vegetarians

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While eating disorders don't make sense to many, there are at least 5 million men, women, and children in the United States who regularly battle an eating disorder. New studies show that many teen athletes, and not just the girls, may suffer from eating disorders. Experts believe that a drive to excel in athletics, especially dancers, gymnasts, and wrestlers, puts some students at a greater risk of having an eating disorder.

But a new program at Viewmont High School in Salt Lake City, Utah has a program to combat the deadly disorder.

"At the start of the season, high school wrestlers are weighed, their body fat is measured and their hydration level is checked. Those numbers are then entered into a computer, which determines how much weight each student can lose safely. If the student loses more, they are not allowed to compete."

While the new program appears to be working for the male wrestlers, there is no such system in place yet for female-associated sports. Read more online.

Labels: students, teens, athletes

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