Medical aspect of eating disorders and obesity

Abstract

Eating Disorders Nowadays in developed societies and cultures all around the world there is a clear preoccupation with size and weight, diet and exercise. The scale of the issue is remarkable, with research suggesting that in the USA for example, up to 50% of the population demonstrate problematic or disordered relationships with food, body and exercise, for instance by following fad diets or unusual food regimes (Gottlieb, 2014). This is referred to as disordered eating. An individual with disordered eating is often engaged in some of the same behaviour as those with clinical eating disorders, but at a lesser frequency or lower level of severity. Although people who exhibit disordered eating may be at risk for developing a full-blown eating disorder generally they are mentally well, there is an absence of compulsive thoughts or problems in regular functioning and generally any issues can be addressed through education. However, 35% of "normal dieters" progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25% progress to partial or full-syndrome clinical eating disorders (Shisslak, Crago, & Estes, 1995). [excerpt]