The sports world places an emphasis on the an athlete's appearance. The typically athlete strives to appear lean and fit. Because of the added emphasis, studies have shown that, an athlete has a higher risk of developing an eating disorder that that of other non-athletes. Eating disorders are most commonly found in sports such as ballet and other types of dance, figure skating, gymnastics, swimming, rowing, running, horse racing, and ski jumping. While these are the widely non sports that are affect by eating disorders, even athletes that participate in wrestling and body building can be affected by eating disorder. There is a variety of disorders found in different sports. For example, a ballet dancer would most likely no suffer from the same eating disorder as a wrestler. Athletes suffer from a range of diseases, from anorexia to binge eating. One of the most common reasons that an athlete suffers from an eating disorder is from the immense pressure each athlete is put under. Just like an athlete wants to top-notch equipment, he or she also wants the “perfect” body for the specific sport. Each sport has an “ideal” body type that will help the athlete achieve the most success. There are three basic body types, or somatotypes. They are: ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs. A person that is considered an extomorph has a narrow-shaped body, a thin face, and little fat or muscle This is the ideal body type for a long distance runner. Then, there is a mesomorph. This person has a wedge-shaped body, wide shoulders, narrow hips, and is muscular. This would be the ideal body type for sprinters. Finally, some people fall under the category of endomorphic. An endomorph has a pear-shaped body. They also have wi... ... middle of paper ... ...ible change in weight and frequent trips to the bathroom. Bulimia, like anorexica, can cause harmful effects to the person's body. Some effects of bulimia include laceration of the oral cavity, esophageal inflammation, esophageal tears and ruptures, and dental erosion. These consequences all stem from self-induced vomiting. Bulimia nervosa can also lead to malnutrition, abnormal heart rhythms, low blood pressure, dehydration, amenorrhea, and electorlyte imbalances (sportsmedicine.about.com). Binge eating occurs when a person constantly eats a large amount of food in a small amount of time. Many people with binge eating disorder are overweight or obese, but some are of normal weight. (helpguide.org) Some of the most common symptoms of binge eating are weight gain, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoarthritis, joint and muscle pain, and/or sleep apnea.
Disordered eating, probably one of the more well-known components of the disorder, is frequently caused by the habitually distorted ideal body image prevalent in many sports. It is most often seen in sports where weight is a factor. This includes sports that are “subjectively scored” like figure skating, those that...
...orted self-image, low self-esteem, and a need for control. "Eating disorders are not about food or weight but about a disordered 'sense of self' looking for approval and finding it, however
Gymnasts are more vulnerable to the onset of distorted eating than other teenagers in society, due to the very nature of what makes for athletic success in the sport. Gymnasts’ bodies have to be young, healthy, petite and muscular, therefore they have to do large amounts of conditioning and eat the proper amounts and type of food. The main factor to gymnasts being vulnerable to distorted eating is because they are at very young ages when they excel in the sport. Gymnastics is structured around young fit bodies, so these athletes are facing a lot of pure pressure and big decisions at young ages. They may start to restrict their diet because, in the sport, it is expected for them to have petite and fit bodies and they are receiving pressure from their coaches and others opinions. A Canadian study of youth gymnasts at an average age of 13.4 years old, reported that 10.5% saw themselves as overweight, 27% were worried about the way they looked and 39% reported dieting behaviors (momsteen.com). When gymnasts restrict their food intake it will not enhance their performance, instead it will harm it because of their weakened bodies condition. They decide to reduce their food intake because of what their body, as a gymnast, is supposed to look like. With the average age of gymnasts being 13.4 years old, they are at the age where it is very easy to feel insecure about their body due to others around them, but it is very unhealthy for high-level gymnasts to not be fueling their body with the proper foods thy need. The sports nature also plays a large role in how far the athletes will go for success. Gymnastics is a very involving sport that requires very long training hours for the young athletes. The proper amount of training hours for the ...
Bulimia Nervosa; often is called Bulimia, it can be categorized into two different groups. Such as non-purging and purging. Bulimia has no known cause for this illness, bulimia affects mostly females aged from late teens to early adulthood.But males have the illness too. Signs of Bulimia include: Eating lots of high calorie/ high fat foods. Feeling bad about oneself after a binge. Feeling ashamed and depressed about one’s eating habits. Feelings that habits are out of control. (Eating disorders and weight control 26)
Eating disorders in athletes do not fit neatly into anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, but rather a combination of both. In athletes, anorexia nervosa may often present itself as over-exercising rather than undereating. In the athletic population, it is difficult to define weight a weight loss criteria for an eating disorder dia...
...t, as the disorder is often a result in lacking in coping skills. Symptoms of binge eating include: eating more rapidly than usual, eating until uncomfortably full, eating large amounts when not physically hungry, eating alone because of embarrassment of the quantities of food consumed, and not being able to purge after consuming large quantities of food (Dobie 1). Because it is not always recognized as an eating disorder, compulsive over-eating may have the most adverse effects on health.
The two main types of eating disorders Anorexia Nervosa, and Bulimia Nervosa, also known as binge eating. There are many health and mental complications that go along with these two problems. The major complications of binge eating disorder are the diseases that accompany obesity. These include diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, gallbladder disease, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. People with binge eating disorder are extremely distressed by their binge eating. Most have tried to control it on their own but have not succeeded for very long. Some people miss work, school, or social activities to binge eat. Obese people with binge eating disorder often feel bad about themselves, are preoccupied with their appearance, and may avoid social gatherings.
Despite the fact that many people think of an eating disorder as being an unhealthy quest for a perfect body, eating disorders are not about vanity and not really about weight. The causes of eating disorders are not known with precision but are thought to be a combination of genetic, neuro-chemical, psycho-developmental, and socio-cultural factors. Eating disorders are complex, psychological illnesses where people try to control conflict and stress in their lives by controlling food. The food, weight, and body image issues are identifiable symptoms of deep-rooted, often difficult-to-identify problems.
An eating disorder is a disturbance in a person’s eating habits, it can be from eating extremely to having a strict diet where one consumes tiny amounts of food. People with eating disorders are not satisfied with their body shape or size. They use food to try to control the way they look by overeating or not eating at all. Studies have shown that females are affected by eating disorders more often than males, but there still is a 10-15% of men that are affected by these disorders. (Eating Disorder Statistics, 2014)
They can even cause death,"(Becker). One disorder that many see everyday is anorexia nervosa, the disorder of not eating for a long time or barely at all. This can have many health risks that can even cause death. Anorexia in young children and the average of people who have it are at very high numbers of 42% and rising. Another disorder that often flies under the radar is bulimia. People with bulimia typically binge eat, which is the consumption large quantities of food in a short amount of time, and then take steps to avoid weight gain. Usually these steps include purging or better known as vomiting, though this could also mean excessive exercising and fasting. This can lead to multiple health issues such as tooth decay, swollen gums, gum disease, and more. Plus with an electrolyte imbalance and changes in metabolism it can cause heart problems and even
Eating Disorders vary in kind but the most commonly seen are Bulimia Nervosa, Anorexia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder. Bulimia Nervosa is considered a “fashionable” diso...
Researchers study eating disorders to try to understand their many complexities. “Eating disorders are complicated psychiatric illnesses in which food is used to deal with unsettling emotions and difficult life issues” (Michel & Willard, 2003, p. 2). To help those with eating disorders, one must understand the causes, effects and treatments associated with the disorders. Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Compulsive Overeating are three common eating disorders found in society today. “No one knows exactly what causes eating disorders. However, all socioeconomic, ethnic and cultural groups are at risk” (Matthews, 2001, p.3). Eating disorders are difficult to diagnose but can be deadly if left untreated.
Another reason that an eating disorder can develop is that of other opinions. People can give an opinion thinking that it won’t affect that person. Some people might even say it to make someone feel bad about themselves. People with a low self-esteem feel obliged to listen to people with this mean opinions. For example, your coach
Eating disorders are a serious health problem. Personal Counseling & Resources says that eating disorders "are characterized by a focus on body shape, weight, fat, food, and perfectionism and by feelings of powerlessness and low self-esteem." Three of the most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating or compulsive eating disorder. According to Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, a person with anorexia "refuses to maintain normal body weight for age and height" and "weighs 85 percent or less than what is what is expected for age and height." A person diagnosed with bulimia has several ways of getting rid of the calories such as binge eating, vomiting, laxative misuse, exercising, or fasting. The person might have a normal weight for their age and height unless anorexia is present. The signs of a compulsive eater include eating meals frequently, rapidly, and secretly. This person might also snack and nibble all day long. The compulsive eater tends to have a history of diet failures and may be depressed or obese (Anred.com).
An eating disorder is defined as a group of serious conditions in which you are preoccupied with food and weight that your rarely focus on anything else (www.mayoclinic.org). The most common eating disorders bulimia, anorexia nervosa and binge eating. The first one we are going to discuss is bulima and it is defined as an eating disorder in which the the person induces vomitting to compensate for binge eating (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org). Bulimia has can be very dangerous for the body because the constant binge eating follo...