EATING DISORDER

What is it?

Eating disorders are a range of conditions expressed through abnormal or disturbed eating habits.

These generally stem from an obsession with food, body weight or body shape and often result in serious health consequences. In some cases, eating disorders even result in death.

Individuals with eating disorders can have a variety of symptoms. However, most include the severe restriction of food, food binges or inappropriate purging behaviors like vomiting or over-exercising.

Although eating disorders can affect people of any gender at any life stage, they’re most often reported in adolescents and young women. In fact, as much as 13% of youth may experience at least one eating disorder by the age of 20 (2Trusted Source).

What Causes Them?
Experts believe that eating disorders may be caused by a variety of factors.

One of these is genetics. Twin and adoption studies, which look at twins who were separated at birth and adopted by different families, provide some evidence that eating disorders may be hereditary.

This type of research has generally shown that if one twin develops an eating disorder, the second has a 50% likelihood of developing one too, on average (3Trusted Source).

Personality traits are another cause. In particular, neuroticism, perfectionism and impulsivity are three personality traits often linked to a higher risk of developing an eating disorder (3Trusted Source).

Other potential causes are perceived pressures to be thin, cultural preferences for thinness and exposure to media promoting such ideals