With Hollywood's super-thin stars serving as role models, it's no wonder that many young girls don't like what they see in the mirror. The American Academy of Pediatrics, reporting on a survey of 5th- through 12th-grade girls, found that the majority were dissatisfied with their body shape. Two-thirds wanted to lose weight, even though less than a third were actually overweight!
However, much less discussed is the fact that many young boys are also increasingly being treated for eating disorders. In fact, it's possible that anorexia and bulimia affects more young boys than they do girls.
According to an article from the UK's Evening Standard, a study released today reveals that a six-year-old is the youngest boy to be treated for anorexia. The NHS study shows that in 2003, UK hospitals made 93 admissions of boys under 10 with eating problems, compared with 21 admissions of girls. While most of the girls were treated for eating disorders that were similar to those encountered by their older counterparts, the young boys were more likely to be suffering from selective eating, where they will only eat a very narrow range of foods.
The six-year-old in question was Nicholas Pilcher. From the age of two until he was six, Nicholas ate nothing but cheese spread. Even now, after years of successful treatment, the 15-year-old still struggles to eat vegetables and eats soft cheese on all his sandwiches. His father said that young Nicholas would often strave himself for long periods of time unless he could eat cheese.
Personally, I had no idea that anorexia among young boys was such an issue and I'm glad I came across this article. Any of you have experience with this?
About MetroDad
I'm a French-named, speed-reading, former public policy analyst now trapped in the body of a Asian-American fashion executive. I've ridden elephants in Sri Lanka, imbibed snake venom in China, skiied the Italian Dolomites, eaten barbecue in Pakistan, travelled to every state except North Dakota, visited 28 out of 32 major league ballparks, worshipped at the altar of Graceland 5 times and have shut down most of the nightclubs in Paris. That being said, I still get lost every time I go through the Lincoln Tunnel.
It's safe to say that we'd probably get along if you can truly appreciate the real beauty in...a good Peking duck, Sunday's NYT crossword, nice manners, Scrabble, Law & Order, spontaneous travel, Otoro, Jim Jarmusch, Tabasco sauce, Morrissey, Haruki Murakami, Peets coffee, Radiohead, listening to baseball games on the radio, Thievery Corporation, X-Men comics, fresh powder, Southern BBQ, Christopher Hitchens, bloomin' onions, mid-century design, the warmth of a good scotch, a great day spent fishing where you didn't catch a damn thing...
On a related note, I'd like to believe that I probably have absolutely nothing in common with another human being who really loves any of the following: pro bass fishing on tv, NASCAR, low carb Cabernet, Kathey Griffin, Microsoft, the Olsens, Applebees, Jessica Simpson, romance novels, tofu bacon, Pamela Anderson, ballet, "Survivor" or HUMMERs. Similarly, I could also never be friends with someone who mixes up "they're", "there", and "their". I will give you a smidge of credit if you know the difference between "if" and "whether". But if you leave any participles dangling, we're breaking up.
In conclusion, let me just say...
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
(The Designater Hitter Rule has got to go)
