At What Age Are You Prone To An Eating Disorder?

Eating correctly is hard for all of us, but for some, the struggle is deadly. Severe over-eating or under-eating may lead to an eating disorder, a disease many of us have experience with, even if it is rarely diagnosed. We were so grateful to have Dr. Allegra Broft, a psychiatrist and professor at Columbia, on the show to educate us on the various types of eating disorders, and to let us know what we can do if a loved one needs help. Dangerous Adolescence The most dangerous and common age to experience an eating disorder is, according to Allegra, adolescence. Anorexia and bulimia are both common with this age group, due to a variety of hormonal and environmental factors. "We don't know all the reasons," she admits, "but [adolescence] is a time of high stress, high transition, and a lot of peer evaluation." The hormonal effects, while not direct causation, draw more "attention to shape and weight changes," creating undue amounts of pressure on looking and feeling a certain way. All of these factors create, as Allegra said earlier, a "disturbance in the way you experience your body," which takes on a shape of its own in the adolescent mind. Click here to check out the rest of my interview with Dr. Allegra Broft. You can submit all your questions for our future guests on Mondays with Marlo on Twitter and Facebook. (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news