Out of the 11 million people in the U.S. who suffer from eating disorders, ten million of them are women.
This is not surprising considering practically every time this topic is brought up the subject surrounds women, and often young women, girls. Lynn Crefe, CEO of National Eating Disorders Association maintains that eating disorders are serious illnesses and not lifestyle choices. She says, body size is largely determined by genetics. Environmental factors such as social pressure, the effects of the media, etc., are very influential, but most importantly, main factors in this disorder happens to be genetics, according to Crefe.
The two most common forms of eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia. We have all seen cases on T.V. of the devastating effects on the bodies of those who have extreme forms of this disorder. Most of the women featured (I never saw a man), have a distorted body image. They believe they are never thin enough. It is difficult to watch them because their small frames always appear on the verge of collapse.
If you or a friend are concerned about eating disorders the Association can be reached at 1 -800-9312237.