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The causes of eating disorders are complex and poorly understood. Genes apparently play a role; people with a close relative who has an eating disorder are about five times more likely to develop such a disorder themselves. Mental problems (such as anxiety and depression} and personality traits (such as perfectionism, low self-esteem, and a high need for acceptance and achievement) seem to predispose people to eating disorders. Cases often begin during adolescence, when bodies and brains are undergoing rapid changes. Magazines, TV, and Internet ads bombard susceptible young people with the message that being skinny is a route to acceptance, beauty, and riches.
Isabelle Caro was among those who fell victim to an eating disorder (FIG. 35-21). Caro, a French model who died at age 28, had suffered from anorexia since the age of 13. She is best known for her efforts to help raise awareness and help other victims of this disorder by posing nude for billboards in Italy featuring the words: “No—Anorexia.” The year before Caro went public with her battle, the weight of her 5-foot, 4-inch body had dipped to 55 pounds. Determined to fight her disorder, she struggled to make herself eat. Sadly, her efforts came too late for her ravaged body, and she died two years later.
FIGURE 35-21 Anorexia Isabelle Caro two years before her death.
Anorexia and bulimia are difficult to overcome. Victims are given nutritional therapy to help them recover from malnutrition. Psychotherapy is usually necessary, and antidepressant drugs may be helpful. Because many victims hide or deny their problems, and because treatment is expensive, the majority of sufferers are inadequately treated; fewer than half experience complete recovery.
CONSIDER THIS Media and fashion houses that glamorize slimness have been blamed for the prevalence of eating disorders. Why do you think extreme thinness is made so appealing? Are there appropriate measures that a free society can take to reverse or limit this message? Do you support the idea of a minimum BMI for models?
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Chapter 35 Solutions
Biology
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- A positive correlation between increased global TV-viewing time and obesity exists, possibly due to: Higher calorie intake when watching television while eating due to consumption of larger portion sizes Exposure to advertisements for high-sugar beverages and calorie-dense snack items during children’s programming The viewer ignoring feelings of fullness or satiety All of the abovearrow_forwardDifferentiate between these three types of disordered eating and the causes and health effects of each.arrow_forwardWhat can be said of the prevalence of obesity in United States and the world? Multiple Choice Prevalence of obesity among adults in any country is independent of the purchasing power among them. Obesity is far more prevalent in Europe than in America. Obesity is several times more prevalent among women with low incomes than among women with high incomes. Obesity rates are unaffected by the sociocultural factors prevailing in the country.arrow_forward
- Outline the effects of an irrational diet, particularly one that is calorie-laden and high in fat.arrow_forwardIndividuals with an irrational fear of becoming overweight are known to have women anorexia nervosa These individuals tend to follow self-imposed individuals suffering from this disorder are and most purging muscle dysmorphia Individuals that follow cycles of binge-eating and then are known to have bulimia nervosa Individuals that tend to think their bodies are underdeveloped are known to have men starvation diets These individuals tend to be preoccupied with body-building activities and most individuals suffering from this disorder arearrow_forwardDescribe the three main categories of eating disordersarrow_forward
- Why are young women at the greatest risk of suffering from an eating disorder?arrow_forwardDescribe ways to modify food and kcal intakes to achieve beneficial physiological changes, such as decreased blood pressure or decreased body mass.arrow_forwardPlease comment on the following on statement on obesity: In most cases there are many different causes that lead to one thing, and oftentimes these causes are systemic. Therefore, rather than trying to assign individual blame for large scale issues we should be looking at the systems that have led to those issues and work at the root of the problem. In general I feel that people want to simplify causation when in most cases it is much more complex than that.arrow_forward
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