Many women and young girls around the world suffer from eating disorders. Various factors such as the media highly influence these behaviors. Everyday, thousands of commercials are displayed which all have the word “Diet” in them. The truth is how many of these Diets actually work? Many girls develop overly compulsive food habits such as eating only certain foods. These behaviors usually lead to physical and emotional complications. In a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, 21% of the teenage girls were overweight, 55% said they were dieters, and 35% were consistent dieters. These teens end up suffering from Anorexia Nervosa (self starvation), Bulimia Nervosa (binge eating followed by vomiting or the use of laxatives), and Obesity. These Disorders do have great consequences and health risk.
Effects of Anorexia Nervosa:
Women with Anorexia usually have strong fears of gaining weight. They strive for perfection and usually go for days without eating. This disrupts the body’s ability to function normally. From the National Society of Eating Disorders, these women usually observed the following effects.
~ ~Severe Dehydration, which can lead to kidney Failure.
~ ~Fainting, fatigue and overall weakness.
~ ~Dry hair and skin; hair loss is common.
~Reduction in Bone density (osteoporosis), which result in dry, brittle bones.
~ ~Abnormally slow heart rate and low blood pressure, which continue to decrease over time.
These risks are real and women should seek medical attention when going through such disorders.
Effects of Bulimia Nervosa:
Bulimia is also very common among women suffering from eating disorders. It consist of eating food followed by forced vomiting or the use of laxatives. This can affect major body organs. Bulimics usually have a normal body weight than anorexics, although they share similar feeling of being overwhelmed with the thought of feeling fat. From the National Society of Eating Disorders, these women usually observed the following effects.
~ ~Inflammation and possible rupture of the esophagus from constant vomiting.
~ ~Ulcers and pancreatitis.
~ ~Chronic irregular bowel movement and constipation from frequent use of laxatives
Effects of Obesity:
Persistent eating disorders usually lead to obesity. Obesity can affect a woman’s self esteem and body image. While it is important that we love our bodies, we also need to know the risk of being obese. It is necessary to remain along the range of our BMI (Body Mass Index). Possible health risk include:
~ ~High cholesterol levels
~ ~High Blood pressure
~ ~ Heart disease
~ ~ Type II diabetes
When we feel dissatisfied with our bodies, we tend to start chronic dieting and making unhealthy choices. The media needs to start portraying images of real people to promote a positive body Image, as this will greatly reduce eating disorders. If you are obese, there are healthier ways to loose weight like exercising, and making healthy food choices. It is ok to change your body or loose some weight but do this while loving yourself. Loving yourself is the best way to motivate yourself into changing your body. If you want to feel more beautiful go for it in a way that gives you love and acceptance.
References:
www.NationalEatingDisorders.org
November 16, 2010 at 8:20 PM
wow! this was educational,one would think okay they're just starving themselves but it does so much damage i had no idea.reminds me of the girl on thi season america's next top model who was alreadya bag of bones but was still talking about loosing weight.i think as long as one is healthy it's alright we cant all be size 0's thats what makes the world special,VARIETY! nice one nene
November 16, 2010 at 9:57 PM
Yes Jerssey Girl people are so driven by loosing weight it actually becomes a problem. Hopefully the media and society accepts variety and all body types.Thanks