Eating Disorders News

February 22, 2023 — More than 1 in 5 children worldwide are at risk of developing an eating disorder such as bulimia, anorexia, or binge eating, a new analysis suggests.

June 1, 2022 — An eating disorder doesn’t have to be a death sentence, although every 23 hours someone does die from an eating disorder. The earlier that you start the recovery journey, the easier it is to heal.

January 31, 2022 — New research warns the constant barrage of "perfect" bodies can undermine the self-esteem of young women.

July 13, 2021 — New research suggests more than twice as many young people were hospitalized with eating disorders in the first 12 months of the COVID-19 surge in the U.S.

April 15, 2021 — Findings challenge a common theory that's never been directly tested in patients, according to the study authors.

March 19, 2021 — At Eating Recovery Center, which offers treatment and services for people who have eating disorders, intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs were switched to virtual when the pandemic began. But that didn't sit well with people who were working on their recovery.

March 3, 2021 — New research suggests hours spent scrolling through social media and watching TV trigger binge eating in preteens.

August 21, 2020 — The research team found that there were nearly 54,000 emergency department visits due to eating disorders in fiscal year 2018 to 2019, costing $29 million, and over 23,500 in-patient hospitalizations due to eating disorders, costing $209 million.

November 21, 2019 — Among those who initially did not have an eating disorder, 1.8% of those who used diet pills in the past year said they received their first eating disorder diagnosis over the next one to three years, compared to 1% of those who did not use diet pills.

June 25, 2019 — The behaviors, called “disordered eating,” include eating to gain weight and using supplements or anabolic steroids to increase muscle or body size.

December 27, 2018 — It turns out that eating causes the release of dopamine in your brain not once, but twice, German scientists report.

January 20, 2017 — But it may take years or longer, researchers acknowledge

October 13, 2014 — They're often linked with other mental health issues, researchers say

September 12, 2014 — Several autoimmune diseases have been linked to, and may even play a role in the development of, eating disorders, new research suggests.

August 26, 2014 — Researchers saw a nearly 6-fold rise in patients who met all criteria of anorexia except being underweight

April 8, 2014 — British study finds that too many males associate anorexia, bulimia as only a woman's issue

November 12, 2013 — Small study found almost half of those with anorexia, bulimia had symptom relief

June 20, 2012 — Eating disorders don’t just strike teens. A new survey shows that middle-aged women binge, purge, and engage in extreme exercise and dieting about as often as adolescents do.

August 5, 2011 — Women with anorexia or bulimia or a history of eating disorders have more fertility problems, unplanned pregnancies, and negative feelings about having a child than women with no such history, a new study from the United Kingdom finds.

June 24, 2011 — Girls and boys who develop unhealthy eating or extreme dieting habits as adolescents are likely to carry those potentially dangerous weight control practices into adulthood.

March 7, 2011 — Eating disorders in teens are common, often occur with other psychiatric problems including suicidal thoughts, and don't just affect girls, according to a new study.

November 28, 2010 — Doctors should be aware that eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia are increasing rapidly in children and adolescents and thus should be on the lookout for signs of problems in their young patients, a new report says.

December 4, 2006 — Teens with eating disorders are picking up dangerous tips from both pro-eating-disorder web sites and sites designed to help treat the problem -- but their parents are reluctant to deal with the issue.

October 17, 2006 — Eating disorders such as anorexia may leave telltale signs in the hair.

August 11, 2006 — Teaching women to accept and trust their bodies may be the key to treating eating disorders, Ohio State psychologists find.

March 6, 2006 — The eating disorders anorexia and binge eating may run in families, according to two new studies.

October 24, 2005 — More and more men are feeling the pressure to be thin and look good, according to a presentation at the American Dietetic Association Food and Nutrition Conference in St. Louis.

September 6, 2005 — There is increasing evidence that chemical abnormalities within the brain make some women more vulnerable to eating disorders and anxiety disorders.

May 16, 2005 — Many teens with eating disorders visit web sites promoting eating disorders, and they often adopt dangerous diet practices as a result, a new study shows.

March 25, 2005 — Court documents state - and medical records suggest - that the then-26-year-old Terri Schiavo suffered from bulimia, an eating disorder. How can we recognize bulimia in our own loved ones?

November 12, 2004 — Researchers say restoring regular family meals could help teenage girls avoid dangerous eating disorders.

June 23, 2004 — Mary-Kate Olsen -- who with her twin, Ashley, is one of the world's two most-celebrated and successful teens -- reportedly is being treated for an eating disorder. She is not alone.

February 5, 2003 — Perfectionist people who have difficulty dealing with personal mistakes may be more likely to develop a serious eating disorder such as anorexia and bulimia, according to a new study.

January 30, 2003 — Eating disorder treatments -- and even the diagnosis -- are inadequate and poorly understood, two experts say.

December 11, 2002 — Some women who struggle with eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia nervosa may have immune systems that have been thrown out of whack.

July 31, 2002 — Weight-Conscious Sports May Put Girls at Risk for Unhealthy Habits

May 3, 2002 — Minority Women Less Obsessed With Size, Less Prone to Bulimia

January 14, 2002 — Abusive Families at Heart of Problem

August 2, 2001 — Experts Call Pro-Anorexia Web Sites a Dangerous Trend

August 2, 2001 — Excessive Dieting Begins Over Baby Fat Fears

May 7, 2001 — Avid Eater, Anxious Mother a Risky Combo for Eating Disorders

April 10, 2001 — More than 90% of high school students with signs of an eating disorder are not receiving any treatment.

April 4, 2001 — Although fewer men than women suffer from eating disorders, a new study indicates that the number of men with anorexia or bulimia is much higher than previously believed.

November 22, 2000 — People with eating disorders often refuse treatment for many reasons including fear of weight gain and the stigma of being hospitalized. But if eating disorders go untreated, they can have serious medical consequences -- death being one of them.

November 17, 2000 — Her parents are health food nuts, says the 32-year-old North Carolina woman, who asks that her name not be used. 'I can't remember a time when they weren't. It just got worse over the years ... much worse since they retired.'

October 19, 2000 — Maybe it was just meant in jest, but those negative comments from your best friend or your dad probably still makes you wince.

March 3, 2000 — Nature appears to have the edge over nurture when it comes to the eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, say authors of two studies published in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

January 25, 2000 — Contrary to popular belief, black American women are just as likely or even more likely to have serious eating problems than white women, according to a report in the January issue of the journal Archives of Family Medicine.