Adolescent girls aren’t the only ones suffering from eating disorders, study finds.
When we speak of anorexia, bulimia, we immediately think of young girls. Well, an American study defeats this misconception. Women over 50 also suffer from eating disorders. They would be 13% in this case. Some make themselves vomit, others have a compulsive diet, others still exercise excessively … And this can go well beyond 50 years. In this study, women over 75 continued to diet drastically.
But, is their motivation really to lose weight?
Yes, and they are ready to do anything for it. According to this study, these fifties use diet pills, diuretics, or laxatives. As the author of this work points out, we tended to think that at this age, the obsession with the perfect body had disappeared. Well obviously not. They are 40% to check their line every day. But, in some women, the origin of the disorders is different. They believe that food is the cause of all ailments, cholesterol, hypertension, etc. They therefore take excessive measures to protect themselves.
And did these women ever have problems with food when they were young?
In fact, some have indeed suffered from eating disorders for decades, but a growing body of evidence suggests that these disorders can also appear in adulthood. However, you have to be careful. Those 40- or 50-year-old women who show symptoms of anorexia may actually be depressed.
Finally, do we treat a 50-year-old woman like a 17-year-old girl?
No, of course. If the relationship with food has been complicated for decades, the management may be difficult. Especially for anorexics who want to control everything. Giving up their defense system takes a lot of work on yourself. However, they can be in great pain. Doctors must be aware of this. This is all the more important as the consequences of these excessive behaviors are often more serious at 50 than at 20. This can cause heart, intestinal or even muscle problems in the event of excessive sport.
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