What They Didn’t Tell You About Men and Eating Disorders
For many years, it was thought that eating disorders mainly affected girls and women. The reality is, however, that eating disorders also affect men, and are often kept a secret part of their lives.
Researchers admit that there’s barely enough data on male eating disorders to draw solid conclusions. But here is a snapshot of what we do know:
- Eating disorders in males are increasing at a faster rate compared to females.
- 4% of men have experienced an eating disorder.
- Myths about eating disorders make it hard for males to recognize their behaviors as symptoms (this also causes delayed help-seeking trends in men).
- One-fifth of male United States military veterans report DSM-5 eating disorder symptoms (DSM-5 is an American Psychiatric Association diagnostic & statistical manual for mental disorders).
- Eating disorders are higher in male athletes compared to non-athletes.
How to Spot Male Eating Disorders
Could you be struggling with an eating disorder? Guys regularly don’t get the warnings and tools they need to spot trouble, and you might think you’re fine because you’re not wasting away. But “eating disorder blindness” in men is a real phenomenon.
If food and body image preoccupy your thoughts, your eating or lifestyle patterns could be or could become unhealthy. And while many people experience weight loss as a direct result of their eating disorders, it’s not always quite so straightforward, which can make them harder to spot. This is because there are a number of ways eating orders can manifest in men. Here are some essentials to know:
Anorexia
Anorexia forces an obsession with food and weight driven by distorted body image and abnormal eating habits are used to cope with anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, or helplessness. While anorexia often develops in childhood or teen years, onset can also occur in adulthood, and it can look like:
- Limited eating.
- Fear of gaining weight.
- Emaciated appearance.
- Unwillingness to maintain a healthy weight.
- Distorted body image.
- Brittle hair.
- Thinning bones.
Bulimia
Bulimia involves binging and purging. A person generally eats large amounts of food in a single sitting, then feelings of guilt or shame set in and trigger forced vomiting, laxative misuse, fasting, or excessive exercise. This one’s hard to detect from the outside because a bulimic person can be underweight, normal weight, or overweight. The signs to look for include:
- Dehydration
- Electrolyte imbalance
- Swollen throat and glands
- Tooth decay
- Worn tooth enamel
- Acid reflux
- Intestinal pain
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Unlike eating disorders driven by poor body image or fear of weight gain, people with ARFID limit the type or amount of food eaten out of the lack of desire to eat. Dramatic food restrictions leave a person without the caloric intake needed for basic body function. Evidence of ARFID comes in the form of:
- A list of “safe” foods
- Picky eating
- No appetite
- Dramatic weight loss
- Stomach pain
Binge Eating Disorder
A binge-eating episode involves eating large amounts of food. A person may eat rapidly during a small window of time to the point of physical discomfort. These episodes often take place in secret to avoid shame. Unlike bulimia though, binge eating doesn’t involve purging and often includes the following behavioral and emotional traits:
- Eating a day’s worth of food in under two hours
- Eating when full
- Rapid eating
- Shame while eating
What Drives Eating Disorders in Men?
Some high-profile men have recently spoken up about body pressures they’ve faced. Kumail Nanjiani revealed that shaping up for “The Eternals” heightened “weird” relationships with food and diet culture. One Direction singer Zayn Malik has said that he went days without eating and would lose so much weight that he’d become sick. And recently, Ed Sheeran opened up to Rolling Stone about his disordered eating.
There’s no magic formula behind why a person develops an eating disorder. Family influence, messaging about food and body image, social attitudes, stress, trauma, and genes can all play a part. Even “harmless” factors can increase the risks for men to develop an unhealthy approach toward eating. Young male athletes in performance-focused sports like wrestling, swimming, diving, gymnastics, rowing, and volleyball face increased pressure. Roles where appearance are important, or diet and weight are at the forefront are also at an increased risk.
While eating disorders have always affected men, the addition of social media to the landscape heighten eating disorder pathology among young people. Research on male body images on Instagram found that posts increasingly idealize muscular and lean bodies in men. This is why social media is considered one of the contributing factors to modern male body dissatisfaction. Researchers performing content analysis with 1,000 Instagram posts found:
- The majority of sampled posts showed muscles and leanness.
- Posts depicting lean and muscular body types received more responses.
- Posts depicting lean and muscular bodies were often framed as health-related posts.
There’s no doubt that fitness influencers can provide powerful motivation and information. Research shows online social support helps obese adults lose weight. However, health-focused messaging surrounding social media content could conceal dangerous motivations. Let’s not forget that many of the male bodies portrayed on social media are heavily edited. Meta reports that more than 600 million people have used filters on Facebook and Instagram.
Impossible digital standards can increase risks for muscle dysmorphia. This subtype of body dysmorphic disorder creates excessive preoccupation with perceived physical defects. It can drive men to obsessive gym time, abnormal eating patterns, supplement abuse, or steroid use.
Male Eating Disorder Treatment
There are a number of options available for men to rely on to recover from eating disorders, and as is often the case with numerous other afflictions, early detection and treatment are important for full and lasting recovery.
It’s also critical to understand that men with eating disorders also have elevated risks for lingering medical complications and suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals with anorexia nervosa, and suicidal behaviors are also elevated in people with bulimia and binge eating disorders. Male eating disorder treatment plans generally prioritize care with the following blueprint:
- Stopping binge-purge and binge behaviors
- Restoring adequate nutrition
- Getting weight to a healthier level
- Reducing excessive exercise to more appropriate amounts
Inpatient care, medical monitoring, nutritional counseling, and medications are also options. At least two of the five types of therapy may also be effective in treating eating disorders. Psychotherapy (talk therapy) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are common in eating disorder recovery, and some newer research shows CBT to be effective for binge-eating disorder.
Some men fall into disordered eating patterns because of stress or pressure. Others may slowly start to limit intake or obsess over exercise because they strive to meet the “Instagram” ideal that’s being pushed today. Regardless of how or why an eating disorder begins, it ends with knowledge and support. Recognizing your own unhealthy behaviors or thought patterns after reading about eating disorders? Reach out to a care provider or trusted person in your life!
