Male Eating Disorders

Male Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders in Men

“It’s a disease for girls. It only affects adolescents. It’s a disease of vanity. Only people in a high socioeconomic status are affected. She/he doesn’t look sick. Those people just need more willpower – just eat/stop eating.” These are just a few myths our culture covertly and overtly expresses about people with eating disorders. Although all of these messages are hurtful, one of the biggest (and possibly one of the most harmful) myths is that only girls and women are affected by eating disorders. Eating disorders do not discriminate. It is time that we begin shifting how our culture views and speaks about eating disorders, especially for men. According to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), about 10 million men struggle with an eating disorder in the United States. Due to the stigma about men and eating disorders, many do not seek help, possibly making the statistics more conservative. Additionally, men may be unaware their relationship with food and their body is unhealthy, and because of their own biases and beliefs, may not realize what they are struggling with is an eating disorder. Even more concerning, males with eating disorders have a higher mortality rate than females (National Eating Disorders Collaboration – NEDC), making this a real and very serious disorder.

Different Types of Eating Disorders

  • Anorexia Nervosa (AN),
  • Bulimia Nervosa (BN),
  • Binge Eating Disorder (BED),
  • Avoidant and Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Two other types that are not in the clinical diagnostic manual are Orthorexia Nervosa and Diabulimia. All of these disorders can affect boys and men, and the most common for men is BED. Recently, a collegiate Penn State football player, Joey Julius, opened up about his struggle with BED since he was a child and how he sought treatment. Researchers have identified various risk factors for both men and women that may make one more vulnerable to an eating disorder. NEDC identifies three categories:
  • Biological/Genetic vulnerability (e.g., brain abnormalities, neurotransmitter imbalance, dieting)
  • Psychological factors (e.g., perfectionism, anxiety, depression)
  • Socio-cultural influences (e.g., trauma, childhood obesity, bullying)

Male Eating Disorder Vulnerability

Additionally, NEDC states men are exposed to unique cultural messages that can increase their vulnerability, such as:
  • The “ideal” body type for men is muscular and lean.
  • Men need to be in control, which can manifest in control of one’s diet and body.
  • Mental illness (e.g., anxiety, depression) is weak; therefore, a man has to find alternative ways to cope with these emotions, such as using food.
  • Male athletes (e.g., weight lifters, body builders, wrestlers, gymnasts, dancers, jockeys) need to be strong and lean to achieve maximum performance and meet weight classes/aesthetic ideals.
As previously stated above in the myths, you cannot look at a boy/man and know if he has or does not have an eating disorder; therefore, it is helpful to identify other signs and symptoms. A few warning signs and symptoms identified by NEDA include:
  • Preoccupation/obsession with weight, food, calories, fat grams, clean eating, exercise
  • Frequent comments about body, weight, food, exercise
  • Food rituals (e.g., eating foods in certain order, taking extremely small/large bites, eating very slowly/quickly, picky eating)
  • Stealing/hoarding food
  • Concern about/uncomfortable with eating in public; may frequently eat alone
  • Weight loss/gain
  • Expresses a need to “burn off” calories; anxiety if exercise is not possible
  • Regularly uses the restroom after eating
  • Frequent dieting (cutting out entire food groups)
  • Feelings of disgust, depression, anxiety, or guilt after eating
  • Extreme mood swings and/or restrictive emotional expression
Visit NationalEatingDisorders.org to learn more about warning signs and symptoms for each type of eating disorder. Due to the cultural myths, biases, and stereotypes that still exist, even helping professionals may misdiagnose a male with an eating disorder. Therefore, if you believe you or a loved one is struggling with any of these symptoms, reach out to your physician and/or therapist. Recovery is possible! References and Resources: National Eating Disorder Association  National Eating Disorders Collaboration

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