Eating Disorders Statistics - Staggering Eating Disorders Statistics

Eating too much or to avoid eating altogether are both eating disorders and affect an individual's physical and mental health in a negative manner. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the common eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa is the effort to lose weight deliberately and continuously by trying not to eat anything. Bulimia nervosa involves recurrent binge eating followed by purging. Another type of eating disorder, binge eating or obsessive compulsive overeating, also exists. It is a chronic condition where an individual eats huge amounts of food within a short period of time without being able to control oneself. All these disorders can lead to serious health problems.

A huge number of Americans suffer from some sort of eating disorder. Some of these people know they suffer from a disorder but consciously avoid treatment. Others may not even know about their disorder. This creates a problem while determining eating disorder statistics. One thing is certain though — the number of people in the US living with some form of eating disorder is on the rise steadily. At least 50,000 individuals can die over one person's lifetime due to their eating disorders. About 20 per cent people suffering from a serious eating disorder can die without any treatment.

As per statistics, about one per cent of the population suffers from anorexia while about two per cent suffer from bulimia. And 10 per cent of women show some symptoms of an eating disorder. The various statistics on eating disorders point out the seriousness of the issue. It is during late adolescence and the twenties that eating disorders peak. But that doesn't mean children and older people are immune to it. About four per cent of college-going women suffer from some of the disorder.

However, only five to 10 per cent of the people suffering from an eating disorder are males. This can be because of the general perception about men who are needed to be strong and heavily built. Since the usual perception about women is that they should be svelte and thin, many of them opt for any diet that promises to help them to lose weight. This makes them more vulnerable to binge eating.

Dieting is in a way related to eating disorders. In the US, about 25 per cent of the men and 45 per cent of the women opt for dieting. About 35 per cent of the normal dieters can change into pathological dieters. Naturally, up to 25 per cent end up developing an eating disorder. Treatment of eating disorder is usually successful in about 60 per cent of the cases. Treatment can be partially successful for 20 per cent of the people. But for the remaining 20 per cent, the treatment has to be a failure. For the treatment to be successful, mental health care and nutritional education is also necessary along with medical care.

Among 100 women, about four suffer from bulimia. Among 200 women, one suffers from anorexia. One per cent of women suffer from binge eating. About five to ten per cent of individuals suffering from anorexia die within 10 years of developing the disorder. Among adolescents, anorexia is the third common chronic disease.

• Matt Thompson
• 01/06/2009, 6:59 PM
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