Anorexia In Sports

Eating disorders are mental disorders that can have a serious physical complications. There are two main types of eating disorders anorexia and bulimia. These are complex disorders focusing on issues of eating, body weight, body shape. People who intentially starve themselves suffer from an eating disorder called anorexia this disorder usually begins in young people around the time of puberty, involves extreme weight loss due to starving themselves . People with bulimia consume large amounts of food and then rid there bodies of the excess calories by vomiting abusing laxatives, taking enemas or over exercising.

Bulimia nervosa, also called bulimia is a possible life threating eating disorder. A person that suffers from bulimia may secretly binge their food. They may eat large amount of food and then purge their food to get rid of the additional calories that they’ve digested. Bulimia is categorized in two ways, purging bulimia and non-purging bulimia. Purging bulimia is when a person regularly self-induces vomiting after eating. Non-purging bulimia is when an individual may use other methods to try to prevent weight gain, such as fasting, extreme dieting, or overly exercising.

Anorexia is an eating disorder that struggles with the fear of gaining weight and refuses to be healthy. Another eating disorder is Bulimia, which is when you overeat followed by forced vomiting and excessive exercise. Binge Eating is one of the most common eating disorders along with Anorexia and Bulimia, Binge eating is when you lose control over one’s eating. All of these common eating disorders all suffer from guilt or depression. “Individuals with bulimia and binge eating eat large amounts of food to reduce stress” (CEDC). They also could have risky behaviors, such as dealing with drugs or alcohol or even death. People with Anorexia or Bulimia are very concerned with being overweight or in other words fat.

What are eating disorders? Are eating disorders a reality for cheerleaders? Is cheerleading a sport that causes females to develop eating disorders? Ron Thompson explains in his book Eating Disorders in Sport that, “Eating disorders are not simply disorders of eating. Also, they are not simply a misguided attempt to be thin; nor are they simply a sport participant’s means to reduce body weight or body fat in an effort to enhance sport performance. They are mental disorders that manifest themselves in a variety of eating and weight-related signs and symptoms” (7-8). I believe that eating disorders are a true and tough reality for cheerleaders especially females. Cheerleading is known as an aesthetic sport, such sport has a higher risk factor to develop eating disorders. Cheerleaders are judged for appearance and wear revealing clothing causing them to

It is important to distinguish between normal eating and the behaviors that typify eating disorders or disordered eating. Even among those attempting to lose weight or maintain a lower percentage of body fat, normal eating is “flexible and not obsessive.” (Dunford and Doyle 455). Although athletes have a stricter nutrition plan versus the general population, their eating should actively support training through moderate levels of restraint yet should still allow for healthy eating patterns such as eating when hungry, not feeling the need to punish oneself after an indulgence through excessive caloric restriction or exercise, and the ability to participate in social events. Dunford and Doyle term this as “discipline, not…obsession” (456). While the eating disorders of anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating all have clear-cut clinical definitions, disordered eating is a more nebulous term that can define a wider array of

Every year thousands of students are recruited to be student athletes at colleges and every year approximately 8 million individuals suffer from eating disorders. According to Psychology Applied to Modern Life, eating disorders are defined as “severe disturbances in eating behavior characterized by preoccupation with weight and unhealthy efforts to control weight (Weiten, Dunn, Hammer, 2011, p. 470).” Eating disorders can include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. With risk factors such as low self esteem, pressure from family, friends and coaches and access to unlimited to food it is no wonder that collegiate athletes have higher rates of eating disorders than regular

The two most common eating disorders are bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Both disorders, primarily affect young women, therefore the majority of the research on eating disorders has been done with women subjects. The onset of bulimia is between adolescence and early adulthood while the onset of anorexia is between early and late adolescence. Not only is the onset different but the disorders are unique. Bulimia nervosa is characterized by loss of control over eating which leads to food binges. These episodes are interspersed with episodes of purging, such as vomiting or laxative abuse, to keep weight down. The goal of anorexia is also to keep weight down , but to a

Eating disorders have been a topic of controversy for numerous years. I myself have struggled with an eating disorder for three years, not only as an individual but as an athlete. Being a competitive cheerleader for fourteen years has opened my eyes to many different experiences and primarily developing an eating disorder. The last three years, I was apart of one of the most prestigious all-star cheerleading teams in the world. My team was known for winning numerous national championship titles and four world championship titles. My team was raised on a pedestal by other coaches, teams, athletes, and judges; therefore, my teammates and I were expected to reach a certain expectation. I am known as a flyer, the one who gets thrown in the air,

Eating disorders (e.g., anorexia nervosa, bulimia) are not rare in today’s society. They have become increasingly common among young women. Research indicates that there is a link between the media’s representation of “the perfect body” as well as ideals of attractiveness with dissatisfaction of body image and eating disorders (Ferguson, Munoz, Garza, & Galindo, 2013). In this current literature review, I will focus on the impact of eating disorders among female collegiate student-athletes with an emphasis on how sports can play an influential role in the development of eating disorders. Female collegiate student-athletes are at risk of developing eating disorders not only because of societal pressures on women to be thin, but also due to sport-specific pressures to change their body weight, size or shape. Factors that contribute to sport culture and pressure on female athletes include performance anxiety, revealing uniforms, and coaches’ influences on their athletes (Coker-Cranney & Reel, 2015).

Firstly, what is the prevalence of eating disorders amongst elite female athletes and is this group more prone to the development of the condition compared to their non-athletic female counterparts?

According to the DSM-5, eating disorders are characterized by a persistent disturbance of eating–related behavior that results in non-normative eating patterns which leads to impaired physical and psychosocial functioning, (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating with inappropriate compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain. Binge eating is described as eating an amount of food definitely larger than normal with a sense of lack of control. Compensatory behaviors include misuse of laxatives, self-induced vomiting, diuretics, fasting and excessive exercise, (Comer, 2014) . Another key feature is

Over the last decade, we have become very familiar with eating disorders and its detrimental impact on young women’s physical and mental health. In particular, Schaal et al. reported eating disorders, notably bulimia nervosa, had “the highest prevalence…among male athletes … in weight-class sports (i.e. wrestling, boxing)” (qtd. in Bratland-Sanda, Sundgot-Borgen 500). In this essay, I will draw upon current research on bulimia nervosa in athletes and attempt to establish the extent to which involvement in weight division sports lead to the development of bulimia nervosa.

Imagine a disease eating its innocent victim alive, some of them being noticed and others not at all. The mental thoughts going on are making the body suffer and continuing to get worse and worse. The sufferer is mentally breaking down more and more each day. This diseases known as an eating disorder affects about 30 million individuals in the United States alone (Eating Disorders 101 Guide, 2003). This number is alarming and needs to be tremendously decreased. Athletes are the most dominant group that eating disorders prey upon, but the question is why. In most sports, athletes are required to be in perfect shape in order to produce excellence. Coaches will push the athletes as hard as they can, many times causing the sportsperson to break

I would alert the athletes, the coach, and the athletes’ parents with different approach. First, I would approach to the athletes very carefully. Some of the athletes may deny that they are having an eating disorder problem. Besides, I understand that the athlete who are suffering eating disorders could very isolating from others and struggling with their self-esteem with emotions. In this case, I would make some rapport with the athletes for trying to make them to feel comfortable to talk to me as a first step of helping them. This process may take times. However, it is the best way to develop trust be being supportive and honest. Once they can talk to me with their problems, I will try to identify which type of eating disorders they are having.

Just like any person, eating disorders can have severe effects on the health of athletes. In fact, athletes might be even more affected considering the fact that they often complete extreme physical activity and are under heavy pressure while doing it. Usually, the main goal of an athlete is to compete and train at their best and impress others as well as themselves. Sometimes, this goal can leave the healthy zone and become unhealthy perfectionism. There are many signs and symptoms in people and athletes to watch for regarding distorted eating. Athletes should be especially watched as many sports can put a focus on achieving a certain body size, shape, and/or weight. These signs include: heavy laxative use, always making negative comments