Men and Boys Also Suffer From Anorexia, Study Finds

Debunking popular belief, researchers of a new study found that men and boys also suffer from anorexia and not just females.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Montreal. Thescientists noted that about 10 percent of males are affected by this eating disorder. Even this number may be an underestimate, the study researchers noted.

"Most of the knowledge about anorexia pertains to females. However, about 10 percent of persons affected are males, and we believe this figure is underestimated," said Laurence Corbeil-Serre, lead author of the study, in a press statement. "Our results show that there appear to be similarities between the behavioral symptoms of males and females, but certain particularities can be identified in males, especially related to personality, gender identity, and sexual orientation."

For the study, researchers examined data of 24 studies that were conducted over a period of 15 years and included 279 participants aged between 11 and 36 years. The analysis revealed seven relevant cited variables. The researchers clarified that all these variables are clinical presentation, pre-existing conditions to the disorder, personality characteristics, sexual orientation and activity, gender identity and co-morbid disorders.

The researchers also noted that both male and female victims of this disorder experience the same fear of "becoming fat." Participants in the study presented clinically significant weight loss with an average BMI of 16.1, placing them in a state of malnutrition. However, dissatisfaction with body image for males was more related to muscle mass, a motivation that can be associated with social norms of male beauty. Additionally, excessive physical exercise was found to be far ahead of rituals around food and vomiting in the list of strategies used to lose weight and the behaviors associated with anorexia nervosa.

Another interesting find was that the rate of homosexuality among the participants was much higher than in the general population

"We postulate that the importance of physical appearance in the gay community exacerbates the disorder once it is present and results in an overrepresentation of homosexual patients in treatment units. As well, anorexia nervosa may be a way to delay sexual issues for individuals with a conflictual or questioning homosexual orientation," said Corbeil-Serre. "We largely compared males with females because there are many studies and tools for studying anorexia in females, which explains the rather difficult task we had in discovering which symptoms were specific to males. Our study deepens our understanding of the subject and enables a better understanding of the disorder in males, by highlighting their specific characteristics."

Findings of the study were published in the journal Neuropsychiatrie de l'enfance et de l'adolescence.

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