Eating disorders and obesity

Question 1

bulimia epidemiology

Answer 1

Majority (95%) are female
* Onset around 16 to 19 years of age
* Lifetime prevalence is about 1.1% for females, 0.1% for males
* 6-8% of college women suffer from bulimia
* Tends to be chronic if left untreated
* Can be preceded by anorexia

Question 2

Anorexia epidemiology

Answer 2

• Majority (75%) are female
• Usually develops in late adolescence (~20)
• More chronic and resistant to treatment than bulimia
• Often begins with dieting
• More common in performing arts, modeling, athletics

Question 3

BED Epidemiology

Answer 3

Most common eating Dx
* Lifetime prevalence
* 6% of females
* 3% of males
* 10-15% of moderately obese on diets have BED
Many persons with binge-eating disorder are obese
* Concerns about shape and weight
* For many caused by dietary restraint
* May also be an emotional component
* Risk factors include:
* Low self-esteem
* Depression
* Physical or sexual abuse

Question 4

Evolutionary mismatch theory

Answer 4

the idea that traits that were adaptive in an ancestral environment may be maladaptive in a modern environment

Question 5

How does the evolutionary mismatch theory relate to obesity

Answer 5

We evolved to store surplus energy as fat
* Today, the food supply is stable, and high energy foods are easily accessible

• We evolved under conditions in which we had to work for physically
  food
• Today, obtaining food requires almost zero physical effort
• Not surprising we are, on average, getting heavier
• Some, to an extreme, leading to obesity