Eating Disorders Impact Women of All Ages
Younger women aren't the only ones with body image issues, our Washington University expert says.
Typically people assume that younger women are the main sufferers of eating disorders but a new study indicates that women over 50 also suffer from a variety of types of disordered eating. The study in the International Journal of Eating Disorders assessed body image in 1,800 US women. The study found that 27 percent of women over age 50 were overweight, 29 percent were obese, 42 percent were normal weight and 2 percent were underweight. In assessing eating behaviors the study found that 4 percent of the women binge eat, about 8 percent purge after eating by either vomiting or over-exercising and 70 percent reported dieting to lose weight. Of more significance 36 percent spent at least half of their time in the previous five years dieting…
