It is difficult to arrive at definitive numbers as far as male eating disorder patients are considered. This is, as mentioned earlier, primarily due to the ‘shame’ factor associated with the disease for males in America. However, in a study conducted by Wolf in 1991, the first numbers were published.

This study, in 1991, indicated that a possible 10 percent of all eating disorder patients in America were male. This was not definitely a very huge number, but it was certainly a very significant discovery. Besides establishing the fact that men could also suffer from eating disorders, it made it easier for men who had hitherto remained secretive about their problem, for obvious reasons, to come out and get treatment for the disease.

American Males with Eating Disorders – Recent Figures

Over the years, the numbers have risen slightly. According to the results of surveys conducted by the American Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, of the total of 8 million Americans suffering from the various forms of eating disorders, roughly 1 million patients were male.

In the anorexics, the numbers are higher – for every four female anorexics, there is one male anorexic in America. In the case of bulimia patients, the number is slightly lower, standing at one male patient for every eight to eleven female patients. These numbers are courtesy a study done by Woodside, Garfinkel, and Lin in 2001.

One must always bear in mind that these numbers are not absolute numbers. It is highly possible that the actual numbers are much higher than these, especially the men. It is not just a possibility, but probably a fact, that there are definitely more male patients out there than the numbers indicate. It will still be a while before we can get the actual numbers out.

What Causes Eating Disorders in Males?

One may wonder as to what causes eating disorders in males. There is actually not much to ponder about, really. True, the characterizations that mark eating disorders in men may be slightly different than those in women; after all men do not have menstrual cycles, as mentioned earlier.

However, the causes are usually the same. Like women, men too face different forms of stress and pressure situations that make them turn to food as a means of exercising control over their lives.

Like women, men too have always been under the same stress to maintain a good physique and good health, the only difference being that in the case of men it has never been an openly verbalized issue. American men face more or less the same cultural stress that American women face when it comes to issues like looking good and staying in good physical shape.

The invasion of the media into our homes, in the form of television, reality shows, etc. have increased this kind of stress many times over. Now everyone is stressed about looking good. Peer pressure is always a tough thing, and this kind of scenario has made it very tough on the male teenagers as well.

Do sports Cause Male Eating Disorders?

This question, as to whether sport is a cause for male eating disorder, is not a fair one, basically. Sports is all about keeping fit and therefore, ideally, can never be considered a cause for men to suffer from eating disorders.

However, it has been found that men involved in some specific kinds of sports stand a far greater chance of developing eating disorders than men involved in other sports.

In 1995, Andersen suggested this concept. He said that athletes or sportsmen involved in those sports that required them to maintain restrictions on their body weight and size stood a far greater chance of letting their weight watch routine degenerate into a full blown case of eating disorders. The sports identified included body building, swimming, running, rowing, dancing, equestrian events (horse riding), wrestling and gymnastics.

This led to the next phase of identification. It stood to logic that not just sportsmen involved in these sports, but any male involved in a profession that required slimness to be a criterion stood a fair chance of suffering from eating disorders. These included models, actors, and other such people in high-visibility and high-glamour jobs.

Treatments For Male Eating Disorders >>