Just in time for the tail end of Men’s Health Month, my latest On Nutrition column in The Seattle Times, “Yes, men get eating disorders, too” addresses an issue that is slowly beginning to get the attention it deserves.
Eating disorders are always a serious health issue. So are illnesses that tend to go under-diagnosed due to lack of awareness and timely detection. Eating disorders in men and boys fits into both of these categories.
As Dr. Neeru Bakshi, MD, medical director for Eating Recovery Center of Washington, told me, “Many people, at least of a certain generation, tend to think of Karen Carpenter when they think ‘eating disorder.’ Eating disorders can kill men as well as women.”
If you have suspicions that a man in your life, whether it be a father, son, brother, grandson, nephew, partner, student, coworker or friend has an eating disorder, don’t just push those suspicions aside, Bakshi said.
“Pursue it like you would with anyone else,” she said. “Talk to them, encourage them to get help, don’t judge them. Tell them that you want them to live the kind of life that gives them value.”