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Eating Concerns and Men

According to the National Eating Disorder Association, approximately 10% of eating disordered individuals coming to the attention of mental health professionals are male. The consensus is that males are clinically similar to, if not indistinguishable from, eating disorders in females. Gymnasts, runners, body builders, rowers, wrestlers, jockeys, dancers, stage performers, and swimmers are particularly vulnerable to eating disorders. Many times men suffer from body image disturbances since the "ideal" body shape for men is athletic, V-shaped muscular men that are also slender. Many marketing campaigns for fast foods or restaurants actually encourage men to have disordered eating behaviors, such as binge eating. At the same time, men's magazines promote fad dieting and exercise as heavily and often in unhealthy ways just as the women's magazines.