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Obesity and it's relationship to Anorexia, Bulimia, and Other Special Eating Disorders
Mahesh Bhat
Obesity is a disease that affects approximately 60
million people
in the United States, and women are especially
affected. Over
one-third of women between the ages of 20 and 74 are
obese, the
majority of them being African American or Mexican
American. With
more and more pre-packaged food and less and less
activity, the
number of obese people in America has steadily
increased since
the 1960’s.
But what is obesity? Many people think obesity means
that a
person is overweight, but that’s not exactly true. An
overweight
person has a surplus amount of weight that includes
muscle, bone,
fat, and water. An obese person has a surplus of body
fat. Most
health professionals concur that a man is obese if he
has over 25
percent body fat, and a woman is obese if she has over
30
percent. Women physiologically have more body fat than
men, so
that why there’s a difference in percentage.
It is difficult to determine the exact percentage of
body fat a
person has, but estimates can be made in a number of
ways. First,
using a tweezer-like tool called a caliper, you can
measure the
thickness of skin folds on different points of your
body and
compare the results with standardized numbers. You can
also use a
small device that sends a harmless electrical current
through
your body and measures your body fat percentage. The
most
commonly used method to determine if a person is obese
is to look
at his/her Body Mass Index (BMI). A person with a BMI
over 30 is
considered to be obese, and a BMI over 40 is
considered to be
severely obese. It’s important to remember though that
BMI could
be misleading in pregnant or lactating women and in
muscular
individuals.
With obesity, comes the increased risk of diseases
such as high
blood pressure, Type II Diabetes, heart disease, and
breast,
colon, and prostate cancer. In addition, obesity has
been linked
to mental health conditions such as depression or
feelings of
shame and low self-esteem. Health experts say that
even losing 10
to 15 percent of your body weight can dramatically
decrease the
risk of developing these serious conditions. In
addition, many
obese people are discriminated against and targets of
insults and
other verbal abuse.
A number of factors, such as poor diet, lack of
physical
activity, genetics, and certain medical disorders,
cause obesity,
but it can be conquered. The following information
seeks to
educate about obesity and the methods used to treat
it. It does
not take the place of a physician.
Obesity and its Relationship to:
Anorexia, Bulimia, and Other Special Eating Disorders
Obesity itself is not an eating disorder, but people
who are
obese or who fear becoming obese may develop one.
Let’s take a
look at obesity and its relationship to special eating
disorders.
Binge Eating Disorder - The most common eating
disorder is binge
eating disorder. Approximately 4 million Americans
have this
disorder. Binge eating disorder is more than just
occasionally
overeating. It is characterized by eating
uncontrollably, quickly
eating an unusually large amount of food at one
sitting, even
when the person is not hungry, and eating in secret
because the
person is embarrassed about the amount of food he/she
eats.
More women than men have binge eating disorder, and
most of the
people who have it are overweight or obese. Binge
eaters eat
mostly sugar and fat, and as a result, they may be
lacking
certain vitamins and nutrients. Many of them are also
depressed.
Treatments for this disorder include therapy and
medications such
as antidepressants.
Bulimia Nervosa - Binge eating is also present in
another eating
disorder, bulimia nervosa. It is estimated that 1.1 to
4.2
percent of females will have bulimia nervosa in their
lifetime.
Bulimics are caught in a binge/purge cycle. They
binge eat,
usually in secret, then purge to get rid of the
calories just
eaten. Purging may involve either self-induced
vomiting after
eating or using laxatives, diuretics, or enemas.
People with
bulimia may also exercise intensely for long periods
of time in
attempt to burn off the extra calories taken in during
binge
eating, or they may go for long periods of time
without eating.
Many bulimics do a combination or all of these things.
Bulimia affects more women than men and more young
women in their
teens and twenties than older women. These women are
usually
obsessed with their weight and truly believe that they
are
overweight even though most have a normal body weight.
It can
cause a number of serious health effects, including
anemia,
dehydration, heart problems, ruptured esophagus,
stomach ulcers,
and even death. Like binge eating disorder, bulimia is
treated
with therapy and medications.
Anorexia Nervosa - on the opposite side of binge
eating is
anorexia nervosa. It affects around 1 to 2 percent of
the female
population. Anorexia is characterized by
self-starvation and
obsession with food, weight, and appearance, weight
loss of 15%
or more below the normal body weight, and an intense
fear of
being fat. Many of them look emaciated, but they’re
convinced
they are fat.
Because anorexics literally starve themselves, their
bodies are
severely depleted of nutrients. As a result, they
develop
muscular atrophy, dehydration, low blood pressure, and
brain and
organ damage to name a few. As many as 10 percent of
anorexics
die. Most anorexics deny they have a problem until the
problem
gets so bad that they have to be hospitalized. Because
anorexia
is so life-threatening, the first stage of treatment
is getting
body weight back to normal. once this is on track,
therapy and
medications are used.
Eating disorders are serious disorders and should not
be taken
lightly. If you suspect you have one or think someone
you love
does, please seek help. It could be a matter of life
and death.
About the Auhor:
Mahesh Bhat is Web Master of http://info-diet.com a
Wellness
Community site that provides information on <a
http://info-diet.com Diet Pills</a>
Visit the
site to learn all about obesity & free weight loss
tips!
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