 | By Claire Wolters, Reporter | | Before I failed my college sports physical, my track coach called me into his office to discuss the "elephant in the room." The elephant was anorexia.
I had never mentioned my diagnosis to him—at least not out loud—but I never had to. I was a petite White woman with abnormal eating habits and visible physical decline. I was quickly flagged and directed to an eating disorder treatment center. At the time, I hated being the elephant in the room. Looking back, I was lucky.
Not all people with eating disorders get to recover. And delayed or missed diagnoses are common in men and people of color.
According to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), eating disorders have historically been associated with straight White women, which, as explained in the story below, is not always the case. | | | Today's Top Story | | Why Men Struggle to Talk About Eating Disorders |  | A lot more men might be struggling with eating disorders than we expected. Experts say that increasing conversations about risk across all identities could be the first step in helping people recover.
Men account for 25% of people with anorexia, and they're at a higher risk of dying from the disease than women, according to the NEDA. This difference in mortality rate is partially due to delayed diagnosis.
Why the delay? For one, men's disordered eating is not always seen as a red flag. A woman on a crash diet may elicit concern. But a man on "cutting season" may be applauded by fitness gurus, even if his food intake is unhealthy.
Poor body image, which can be influenced by the media and linked to eating disorders, can also be less noticeable in men.
Michael Chiumiento, PsyD, Clinical Supervisor of Adolescent and Family Services at Walden Behavioral Care, said that while the majority of women he sees in treatment have a desire to be smaller, men are left with a sort of "conundrum," of wanting to be bigger and smaller at the same time.
William Hornby, who talks about eating disorder recovery on TikTok, said modern body ideals previously played into his disorder by making him think of his body as "not strong enough."
For his 350,000+ TikTok followers, Hornby is working to change this narrative by encouraging people of all genders and identities to nourish their bodies. | | Know More | | Several types of eating disorders exist, all of which can have health consequences or life threatening effects. If you're struggling with your food intake but aren't sure if you fit the criteria for an eating disorder, it could be a good idea to talk to an expert about your symptoms. | | Feel Better | | Seeking help for an eating disorder can be scary because of shame or fear of the unknown. You can call a doctor or a treatment center to get more information to guide your decision, even if you aren't ready to fill out an intake form right away. | | |  | | Pfizer Says Its Antiviral Pill Will Work Against Omicron | | Despite concerns about the multiple mutations in Omicron's spike protein, Pfizer is confident that its COVID-19 antiviral pill will still be effective against the variant. The pill is designed to block the protease enzyme that's responsible for multiplying the virus in the body instead of the spike protein. Experts are hopeful that Pfizer's pill will add a layer of defense against the Omicron variant. | | | | Sports Drinks Aren't Always Hydrating | | Sports drinks are designed to offer quick hydration during or after exercise. But most people don't need sports drinks to replenish their lost hydration unless they're doing a 90-minute endurance workout. Certain hypertonic and isotopic sports drinks have high concentration of sugar and salt, which can contribute to dehydration. | | | | | | | |  | | Jay N. Yepuri, MD, MS, a Verywell Medical Advisory Board member, says that colonoscopy is the gold standard for colon cancer screening and prevention. |  | | The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force now recommends starting colon cancer screening at age 45 for average risk individuals. Those at higher risk may need to start earlier. Please get your colonoscopy—screening and prevention save lives! | |  |  | Jay N. Yepuri, MD, MS
Partner and Executive Committee member at Digestive Health Associates of Texas
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