Traditional, conservative estimates reported that of the 8 million Americans with eating disorders, one million were male. Studies by researchers at Harvard University Medical School have revealed that up to 25% (not 10 - 15% as previously speculated) of the estimated 8 million Americans with eating disorders are male. This means the number of American males with eating disorders is closer to two million, not one million.
No one really knows the untold number of boys and men with eating disorders who never seek treatment or, despite seeking help, are misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. Eating disorders among men are underreported and most men never receive treatment.
An eating disorder represents an extreme condition; therefore, it is reasonable to assume that there are tens of millions of American males who are obsessed with appearance, weight, food, and exercise, but do not fall into an official diagnosis for an eating disorder. These numbers suggest that the obsessions fueling eating disorders present a serious mental health issue facing our nation.
For an illness affecting so many males, it is astounding that so little information is available on males with eating disorders.
The Center for Disease Control (C.D.C.)* reported that heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, claimed 696,947 lives in 2002. The American Cancer Society** estimated that 564,830 Americans will die of cancer in 2006.
More males in the U.S. are affected by eating disorders than people dying annually of heart disease or cancer. If these leading causes of death, rightfully receive so much attention, then why is not an eating disorder epidemic affecting two million males given the same attention in research and prevention?
*C.D.C., "Deaths: Leading Causes for 2002" in National Vital Statistics Reports 2005, 53 p. 17.
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