YP Comment: Eating disorders

But while the common assumption is that conditions such as anorexia or bulimia are associated with teenage girls and young adults, new research – published in the journal BMC Medicine today – shows that far more older women are suffering from eating disorders than had previously been thought.

The study found that one in every 28 women aged between 40 and 50 has an active eating disorder. The report, which used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, also found that out of 5,000 British women questioned more than 15 per cent reported having an eating disorder at some point in their lives.

These are alarming statistics and what this study shows is that eating disorders can strike anyone irrespective of age or social standing.

What is particularly worrying is that less than a third of those battling a disorder didn’t seek medical help, with many of the women who took part in the study admitting that they had never spoken about their eating problems before.

This suggests that either people aren’t accessing the care they need because they don’t want to admit they have a problem, or there is a wider lack of awareness among some healthcare professionals.

Either way, both issues need to be addressed urgently. Eating disorders can have a crippling affect not only physically, but psychologically and socially, and we must raise awareness if we are to tackle a deadly condition that can blight both young and old.