Does Health Education Promote Eating Disorders?

✍ Scribed by Pat Hartley

• Book ID: 102658306
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 550 KB
• Volume: 4
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1072-4133
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0968(199603)4:1<3::aid-erv133>3.0.co;2-i

✦ Synopsis

Recent research evidence suggests an increase in the incidence of eating disorders. Some studies emphasize a particular increase in children and young adult d s .

Health education material promotes diets low in fat and cholesterol as generally beneficial. Disturbing evidence is emerging, however, suggesting some link between such diets and an increase in aggression, depression and suicide. Animal stwlies have demonstrated higher levels of aggression in monkeys fed a 'prudent' (low fat) diet than those fed a 'luxuy' (high fat) diet. It is suggested that individd vulnerable to eating disorders may be particularly susceptible to advice which offers a specific route to perfection. This pager reviews cuwent literature associating low fat, low cholesterol diets with mood changes and self-injurious behaviour, suggesting some tentative links with the eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.