11 Facts about Eating Disorders

1. People with eating disorders think about and use food in ways that are physically and emotionally destructive.
2. In the U.S., eating disorders are more common than Alzheimer’s disease: five to ten million people have eating disorders compared to four million with Alzheimer’s disease.
3. In 2005, the National Institute of Health (NIH) gave $647 million in research funds to Alzheimer's disease, which affects four million people, but it only gave $12 million in research funds to Anorexia, which affects five to ten million.
4. Anorexia has the highest premature mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. The majority of deaths are due to physiological complications.
5. Although recovery from anorexia can often take up to a decade, the outcome of treatment is better than for obesity or breast cancer.
6. A 2003 study found that 40% of newly identified cases of anorexia are in girls 15-19 years old.
7. The same study found that the incidence of bulimia in ten to 39 year old women tripled between 1988 and 1993.
8. Over one-half of teenage girls and nearly one-third of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting and taking laxatives.
9. Americans spend over $40 billion on dieting and diet-related products each year.
10. The average American woman is 5’4” tall and weighs 140 pounds. The average American model is 5’11” tall and weighs 117 pounds.
11. People who have severe anorexia often grow a downy layer of hair, called lanugo, all over the body, including the face, in an effort to keep the body warm.

Sources:
National Eating Disorders Association
Heal Thy Eating
National Institute of Mental Health
Center for Young Women’s Health