Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. 480,000 people die each year from eating disorders (ED) or ED-related illnesses. Some of these illnesses can be caused from your body being overweight, underweight and/or nutrient deprived. Although it’s often thought that minorities do not suffer from eating disorders, statistics show that the rates of minorities with ED’s are similar to those of whites.
The myth that eating disorders don’t exist in the minority community often comes from a lack of education of what eating disorders are and how they affect our mind and body.
Unfortunately, many minorities believe that Anorexia is the only “true” eating disorder that causes harm. Anorexia is classified when one physically starves him/her self by withholding food from the body. Although Anorexia gains most publicity in the media, and is very deadly, there are two additional classified ED’s defined in the Diagnostic & Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders. The other two classified ED’s are Bulimia and EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Other Specified). Bulimia occurs when a person binges on large amounts of food and then purges to rid his/her body of the food. Although EDNOS can include symptoms such as chewing the food and then spitting it out, the most common EDNOS plaguing the minority community is Binge-eating disorder. This disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, but unlike bulimia, the person does not purge or use other methods to rid his/her body of the food. The person with Binge-eating disorder has an uncontrollable desire to eat food without the ability to stop.
In efforts to help you further understand the dangers of eating disorders, following are the symptoms/dangers associated with the top three most common eating disorders.
The symptoms/dangers that Binge Eating Disorder (BED) could have on our body:
Obesity
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Diabetes
Osteoarthritis
Heart attack
The symptoms/dangers that Bulimia could have on our body:
Tooth decay
Dehydration
Inflammation & rupture of the esophagus
Irregular or abnormally slow heart rate
Heart failure
Stomach ulceration
The symptoms/dangers that Anorexia could have on our body:
Starvation
Dehydration
Muscle and cartridge deterioration
Osteoporosis
Irregular or abnormally slow heart rate
Heart failure
Up to 24 million people in the United are suffering from eating disorders and one out of five women are suffering. Eating Disorders are not something to take lightly. If you have an eating disorder or are concerned about someone you love, get help immediately.
Beware: A person suffering with an eating disorder is not always underweight. Many persons suffering with eating disorders are average or overweight. Body size does not mean a person is suffering less or is in less danger.
Anorexia danger signs include:
1. Significant weight loss
2. Continual dieting (even if the person is already thin)
3. Feelings of fatness even after weight loss
4. Fear of weight gain
5. Lack of menstrual periods
6. Visible food restriction and self-starvation
7. Preoccupation with food, calories, nutrition, and/or cooking
8. A preference to eat in isolation
9. Compulsive exercise
10. Insomnia
11. Brittle hair or nails
12. Unusual Food rituals such as shifting the food around on the plate to look eaten; cutting food into tiny pieces; making sure the fork avoids contact with the lips (using teeth to scrap food off the fork or spoon); chewing food and spitting it out, but not swallowing; dropping food into napkin on lap to later throw away, etc
13. Hair loss. Pale or “grey” appearance to the skin
14. Use or hiding use of diet pills, laxatives or enemas
15. Social withdrawal
16. Perfectionistic personality
Bulimia nervosa danger signs include:
1. Uncontrollable eating (binge eating)
2. Purging by self-induced vomiting
3. Vigorous exercise
4. Abuse of laxatives or diuretics (water pills) to lose weight
5. Frequent use of the bathroom after meals
6. Reddened fingers (from inducing vomiting)
7. Swollen cheeks, throat or glands (from induced vomiting)
8. Preoccupation with body weight
9. Depression or mood swings
10. Hiding food in strange places (closets, cabinets, suitcases, under the bed) to avoid eating (Anorexia) or to eat at a later time (Bulimia).
11. Irregular menstrual periods
12. Bruised or calluses knuckles; bloodshot or bleeding in the eyes; light bruising under the eyes and on the cheeks.
13. Dental problems, such as tooth decay caused by induced vomiting
14. Heartburn and/or bloating
15. Perfectionistic personality
1. Fear of not being able to control eating, and while eating, not being able to stop
2. Isolation. Fear of eating around and with others
3. Chronic dieting on a variety of popular diet plans
4. Holding the belief that life will be better if they can lose weight
5. Hiding food in strange places (closets, cabinets, suitcases, under the bed) to eat at a later time
6. Vague or secretive eating patterns
7. Self-defeating statements after food consumption
8. Blames failure in social and professional community on weight
9. Holding the belief that food is their only friend
10. Frequently out of breath after relatively light activities
11. Excessive sweating and shortness of breath
12. High blood pressure and/or cholesterol
13. Leg and joint pain
14. Weight gain
15. Decreased mobility due to weight gain
16. Loss of sexual desire or promiscuous relations
17. Mood swings. Depression. Fatigue
18. Insomnia. Poor Sleeping Habits
Myth: Eating Disorders only affect white women Fact: Eating Disorders affect minorities at equal rates as whites
Surprising Facts About Minorities and Eating Disorders
1. Minority women have higher overweight and obesity rates than white women.
2. Mexican American men have a higher overweight and obesity rates than non- Hispanic whites or blacks.
3. 69% of African American women are overweight or obese compared to 58% of African American men.
4. For all racial and ethnic groups combined, women of lower socio-economic status (income less than 130 percent of poverty threshold) are approximately 50% more likely to be obese than those of higher socioeconomic status.
5. Mexican American boys tend to have a higher prevalence of overweight than African American or White boys. 6 African American girls tend to have a higher prevalence of overweight than Mexican American or White girls.
SOURCE: Surgeon General, Official Recommendations.
