g female. “And men are hesitant to seek medical attention for a disorder they fear will be seen as a girl’s disorder or a gay guy’s disease,” Anderson said.ConclusionEating disorders remain predominantly female illnesses. However, these disorders are common that even if only 10% of sufferers were male, hundreds of thousands of young men would be affected, making it an important health problem for males. Researchers believe that eating disorders may be under diagnosed in males. During the 1980s and 1990s there has been an apparent increase in recognition and interest by researchers in eating disorders among males, which has resulted in a number of articles, at least two Internet sites and one book about eating disorders in males. Although there appear to be more similarities than differences between males and females with eating disorders, much can be learned from the differences between the two groups. Gender differences that have emerged in some studies of patients with eating disorders include a higher incidence of homosexuality among males with eating disorders. Extreme pressure to be thin may alone be strong enough to precipitate development of eating disorders. Such added attention to weight and body fat and pressure to diet might be environmental pressures experienced by obese males.(Braun http://www.medscape.com). Further study of eating disorders may determine the treatment and prevention strategies that are most appropriate for males....
