June 12, 2017 — Eating disorders present fitness professionals with a tough challenge. Working out is a good, healthy habit that health professionals encourage. But the line between healthy habits and unhealthy obsessions is very real. The National Eating Disorders Association describes the other side of that line as compulsive exercise. Recognizable But Not Fully Defined Fitness professionals see […]
January 18, 2017 — Popular nutrition advice often holds that careful, healthy food choices pave the ideal path to good health. But sometimes, food choices are not entirely a matter of choice. Consider the case of people with ARFID – avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. This diagnosis is relatively new. Before the publication of DSM-5 in 2013, these people might just be labeled […]
September 30, 2016 — Here we are at the end of the week that started with the most-watched presidential debate of all time, and people are still talking about a fat shaming wisecrack from Donald Trump. When Trump mentioned a hacker “sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds” Monday night, it seemed like an afterthought. But now, people […]
July 13, 2016 — As public interest in concepts of healthy eating and now “clean eating” has grown, health and nutrition professionals have begun recognize that an obsession with healthy eating can become pathological. In 1997, Stephen Bratman first described orthorexia nervosa in Yoga Journal as a “the health food eating disorder.” Unfortunately, almost 20 years later, experts are still struggling […]
June 30, 2015 — Advocates for people living with eating disorders achieved a Missouri milestone in access to care this week. Some observers are suggesting that it may have implications nationwide. Missouri lawmakers passed a bill that requires health insurers to cover “medically necessary” physical and mental treatment of eating disorders. The legislation passed and was signed into law […]
January 27, 2015 — The first drug for binge eating disorder may be nearing approval at FDA. Shire’s application for lisdexamfetamine (brand name Vyvanse®) for the treatment of binge eating disorder was accepted at the end of September, which means that the FDA is due to rule on their application by February 1. FDA granted a priority review for […]
August 29, 2014 — Obesity and eating disorders are a complex collection of diseases that get tied together through food, culture, and social pressures, with the potential to activate someone’s biological susceptibility to one of these conditions. The links are especially evident for adolescent girls, who face enormous social pressure regarding weight. A new study published in the American Journal […]
August 28, 2014 — A new study just published in Pediatrics documents a nearly six-fold increase over six years in serious eating disorders (EDs) among adolescents with a normal BMI. Experts in the field have been quietly expressing concern about this trend for some time. These patients present with serious medical signs and symptoms typical of anorexia (AN) after losing significant […]
February 6, 2014 — We’ve never been a big fan of the Biggest Loser. Somehow sensationalizing and exploiting people with obesity doesn’t seem right. But the season finale this week seems to be causing even fans, perhaps even the coaches, to stop and wonder, “Is this a big mistake?” What prompted this controversy was the appearance of the winner, […]
October 8, 2013 — Professionals who treat eating disorders are the last group you would expect to harbor bias against people with obesity, right? Wrong. New research from Rebecca Puhl and colleagues at the Yale Rudd Center shows that even these professionals hold negative attitudes and stereotypes that make them uncomfortable caring for patients with obesity. Yet almost all […]
