Obesity and eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, can have multiple and sometimes permanent physical consequences. Both conditions can also carry significant emotional problems (Banker, 2010).2 Specifically, binge eating disorder is commonly underdiagnosed in patients affected by obesity. Those affected by eating disorders and obesity often experience dissatisfaction, shame, guilt, and even anxiety about food choices.
The relationship between obesity and eating disorders and their relative causes is complicated, yet it affects each one of us and those we love on a daily basis in terms of how we think and feel about our bodies and the foods we eat. Understanding that relationship can help us take steps to protect our own health and the health of our families (Banker, 2010).
The National Eating Disorders Collaboration sites these social measures as examples of such:
How we feel about and judge our body shapes and sizes and those of our loved ones is often affected by the public opinions and beliefs about eating, food, and weight (Banker, 2010).2 At least 35 percent of “normal dieters” move to extreme dieting – of those, 20-25 percent move to partial or full eating disorders (ANAD, 2014).
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