Running head: EATING DISORDERS IN MEN 1

Eating Disorders in Men

Norma L. Veloz

University of Texas at El Paso

Carolyn R. Drapes

RWS 1302

March 24, 2017

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Abstract

Much attention has been focused on eating disorders in young girls and women. Eating

disorders in boys and men are not often discussed, yet rates are increasing and it is thought that a

significant number of sufferers remain unidentified. Eating disorders are traditionally thought of

as a problem specific to women, but evidence suggests the disorders also occur in men.

Identifying the problem and referring patients for treatment can be difficult. Understanding these

disorders and realizing the incidence in men is important, as it is often overlooked minor

problem.
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Literary Review

We live in a culture obsessed with looking thin and dieting. This can make it difficult to

recognize when a persons health is at risk since its common nowadays. Eating disorders have

been around for many years and until recently were typically viewed as a female issue. Thats no

longer true. Today, anorexia, bulimia, and especially binge-eating disorder, are on the rise in the

male population. Eating disorders can develop at any age but studies have showed that anorexia

is now diagnosed in boys as young as eight and in their late teens/ early twenties. 60% of those

with binge-eating disorders are male. The actual proportion of males with eating disorders could

be much higher. Eating disorders are a very serious and affect both physical and mental health. If

left un treated, it could get worse and be fatal. Men with anorexia, bulimia or binge eating

disorder may reveal some but not all the symptoms identified. The first step toward helping

someone is being able to recognize warning signs which I believe is highly important. And when

you help, you may save that persons life. This issue has gotten out of control and I believe its

crucial to learn more about it, especially in men because men arent known to be affected by

any eating disorder. I have constructed a few questions I believe will help gain a better

understanding in depth of the controversy in eating disorders among men.

1. Do young men and women show similar symptoms when experiencing eating

disorders or do they differ?

2. Do you believe the subject of eating disorders in young men receives enough

attention?
3. Does the mainstream media cause eating disorders?
4. Is it possible for a male to recover from an eating disorder?
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Aside from finding information on the internet, I have interviewed a peer of mine from school

named Silvia Bell and will be asking her the four following questions and she will give her

opinion and knowledge on the topic.

1. Do young men and women show similar symptoms when experiencing eating

disorders or do they differ?

Males and females grow up facing different pressures and expectations in life. When trying

to understand a man with an eating disorder you should always keep in mind that eating

disorders can present in different ways in males and that there are certain risk factors that males

need to be aware of. Men who are highly concerned with their weight, focus on thinness,

muscularity, or both. It is said that a higher portion of males with eating disorders are

homosexual (Dr. D. Blake Woodside). 30 percent of boys who are homosexual are mainly

focused on thinness. Meanwhile, less than 15 percent were concerned only with being more

toned and having defined muscles. The men who arent homosexual, about half were worried

about muscle gain and approximately a third were worried about thinness and muscularity and

less than 10 percent were only concerned with thinness. Those statistics reflect a major

difference between boys and girls when it comes to weight concerns. Whereas girls typically

want to be thinner, boys are as likely to feel pressure to gain weight. Given all this, it is not

unreasonable to assume that men differ from women. Previous studies suggest that men and

women dont really differ when it comes to eating disorders. According to a study done by Dr. D.

Blake, the illness is the same in nature for both sexes. This is why, a random test of 9,000 males

and females were tested with EDs (Eating Disorders). The prevalence of eating disorders in men
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and women who have anorexia nervosa is 25 percent in males and 45 percent in females. For

bulimia nervosa, 33 percent in males and 64 percent in females. With both EDs combined, 68

percent in males and 90 percent in females. Notice the difference between in female: male ratio

between individual EDs and both EDs combined. Men with eating disorders had significantly

higher ratings in almost all areas, compared to men without eating disorders. For example,

depression, anxiety and alcohol dependence. Being compared to women with eating disorders,

women had a higher depression rate and lower rates of alcohol dependence. Your family history

has a huge part in EDs, for example, having an unstable family causes most health problems.

Women with EDs reported higher rates of sexual abuse than men with EDs.

Dr. D. Blake concludes that, overall, the findings in this study support the idea that eating

disorders are very similar in men and women. Our study also shows that the ratio of the

occurrence of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, associated comorbidity, and

psychosocial morbidity are very similar in both genders. But, of course, there needs to be way

more research to understand whether there are other differences between men and women with

eating disorders. Since the up rise of eating disorders in males, there are a lot more studies that

claim that men and women do significantly differ in regards to eating disorders. Another article I

thought was interesting was NCBI, their website provides basic research by scientists whose

mission is to uncover new knowledge. According to them, they found significant gender

differences of eating disorders. A random sample of boys and girls between the ages of 18 to 35

were given a questionnaire survey. The objective was to examine gender differences in

prevalence of eating disorder symptoms which included body concerns, binge eating, and other

behaviors. Among the 2,000 women and 1,400 men who responded, men were reported to

overeat whereas women were more likely to agree to loss of control while eating. Statistically
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speaking, women were more likely than men to report body checking and avoidance, binge

eating, fasting and vomiting. Results suggest that, indeed there is significant gender differences

on most behavioral symptoms of eating disorders (see Table 1) Although, statistically the gender

differences were quite small.

2. Do you believe the subject of eating disorders in young men receives enough attention?

It is a common misconception that eating disorders only affect women. The reality is that

eating disorders affect both men and women, boys and girls. Males suffering from body image

issues and eating disorders have a tremendous stigma to overcome. That stigma being that men
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dont get eating disorders. Also, they are exposed to specific cultural messages that increases

their vulnerability towards EDs. First one is that men should only have one body type, the ideal

body shape for men is portrayed by the media as a lean and muscular physique. 30% of boys are

highly worried about their weight and physique. An expectation of males is to take charge and

be in control but coping with an eating disorder that is beyond their control leads to anxiety and

depression. Men usually displace these anxieties onto their bodies and leads to excessive

exercising and dieting. Eating disorders and mental illness are known as none masculine and

men dont desire to appear as weak or vulnerable which leads the stigma of men around

eating disorders to have delayed treatment and support for men. According to The National

Institute of Mental Health, approximately over one million males struggle with eating disorders

nationwide and yet they still underestimate men with eating disorders. This is due to limited

treatment for a specific gender and few resources. Men continue to be under diagnosed and under

treated.
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3. Does the mainstream media cause eating disorders?

Todays children and adolescents grow up in a society filled with mass media. Examples like

television, films, videos, billboards, magazines, movies, music, newspapers, fashion designers

and the Internet. Statistics reveal that, on average, a person watches up to 5 to 7 hours of

television per day and an average of 6 to 7 hours viewing social media. The past 20 years,

various articles have a certain representation of women too be thin and flawless and men to be

muscular. There have been studies that reported significant change in the way men and women

are portrayed as throughout the media in our society. In a study conducted by two researchers

(Katzmarzyk and Davis), carefully examined drastic changes in the body weight and shape of

men and women in magazines. For starters, they found a significant decrease in body weight and

measurements. 70 percent of women are being underweight and a majority of women were less

than 85 percent their ideal body weight. And a very similar study was done on men and found

out that male models have become more muscular over time. There are several studies that report

a positive purpose about media. Media influence on beauty, fashion and weight concern is

important because it helps maintain your weight and women make more of an effort to look good

but this can lead to many risk factors. In a different perspective, boys and girls between the ages

of 9 to 18 were making an effort to look like the models on magazines or on television were

developing weight concerns, dieting and eating disorders. This extends to the development of

harmful eating disorders. This confirms that mass media has a huge impact on men and women

because they are vulnerable to messages and images that are being conveyed through mass

media. It is easy to be manipulated by social media, for example, many people dont know that
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most models are airbrushed to have flawless skin and digitally enhance to have perfect bodies.

These research studies explain how exposure to unrealistic and unhealthy body images can

influence peoples perception of their body and size and their sense of body dissatisfaction.

4. Is it possible for a male to recover from an eating disorder?

Taking the first steps towards treatment can be challenging. A person with an eating disorder

may feel ashamed, nervous, anxious, embarrassed or scared as they reach treatment or recovery

phase. Some might be in denial about their issue or in some cases

they feel like they have their problem under control but in reality,

they dont. Evidence shows that the sooner you act on the problem

and get treatment then the recovery process is shorter. It is possible

for men to recover from an eating disorder but Its more common for

males to go untreated longer and receive less professional care than

females because seeking help for men is harder to find since there

are limited resources. But there are other ways you can help men

without having to seek professional help. Showing support in general is proven to decrease

eating disorders. Help your loved one understand that they dont need to try to fit in or expect to

look like a certain type of way. For example, help boys understand that they dont have to have a

muscular body. The toughest step is admitting you need help. Males especially have a hard time

admitting they need help became they dont want to seem weak. With hard work, dedication and

hope, you can recover from an eating disorder.

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Interview

Silvia Bell, current sophomore at The University of Texas at El Paso is majoring in

Electrical Engineering and agreed to answer a few questions about Eating Disorders in Men. I

chose to interview Silvia due to her familiarity with eating disorders in male relatives, primarily

with her father and brothers.

1. Do young men and women show similar symptoms when experiencing eating

disorders or do they differ?

They do show similar symptoms such muscle deficiency and physical and

emotional trauma. And they differ because women need more nutrients than men

because women lose more blood due to menstrual cycle.

2. Do you believe the subject of eating disorders in young men receives enough

attention?
No, you hear it more in girls because eating disorders happen more in ballet

dancers and models. Males dont really come forth with their problems because

theyre ashamed

3. Does the mainstream media cause eating disorders?

Yes, your self-esteem plummets when younger individuals view models with

photo shopped bodies and skinny figures, as well as fashion

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4. Is it possible for a male to recover from an eating disorder?

Yes, they are going to recover the same as women because recovery is the same

process in general when it comes to eating disorders

Conclusion

Although eating disorders remain as a female disease, these disorders are affected by

hundreds of men and young boys. There are many unrecognized and undiagnosed males with

eating disorders due to the stereotype that this is only a female issue. Males are reluctant to seek

help because they are ashamed but avoiding seeking help leads to long term complications and

no recognition. More work needs to be done to identify treatment and prevention strategies and

could help bring more males come forward with their issue. Additionally, more education about

eating disorders could help educate others in hopes of increasing public awareness.

.
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Resources

RA Leit, JJ Gray, HG Pope Jr. 2002 The medias representation of the ideal male body: A cause

for muscle dysmorphia? International Journal of Eating Disorders. Volume 31 Issue 3, Pages 334

338.

DJ Carlat, CA Camargo Jr, DB Herzog 1997. Characteristics of male patients with eating

disorders American Journal of Psychiatry, Am Psychiatric Assoc.

Eating Disorders In Males. (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2017, from http://eating-

disorders.org.uk/information/eating-disorders-in-males/

Gagne, D. A., Von, A., Brownley, K. A., Runfola, C. D., Hofmeier, S., Branch, K. E., & Bulik, C.

M. (2012, November). Eating disorder symptoms and weight and shape concerns in a large web-

based convenience sample of women ages 50 and above: results of the Gender and Body Image

(GABI) study. Retrieved May 10, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22729743

Pratt, B. M., & Woolfenden, S. R. (n.d.). Interventions for preventing eating disorders in children

and adolescents. Retrieved May 10, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12076457

Pratt, B. M., & Woolfenden, S. R. (n.d.). Interventions for preventing eating disorders in children

and adolescents. Retrieved May 10, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12076457

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Male Eating Disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2017, from

https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/treatment-for-eating-disorders/special-issues/men

Loucas, C. E., Fairburn, C. G., Whittington, C., Pennant, M. E., Stockton, S., & Kendall, T.

(2014, December). E-therapy in the treatment and prevention of eating disorders: A systematic

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