Although eating disorders like binge eating, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia in older women are rarely discussed, they're a prevalent and growing problem.
from Yale School of Medicine reports that almost 3% of U.S. women ages 50 to 64, and almost 2% of women 65 and older, have an eating disorder.found that roughly 26% of older female participants reported binge eating one or more times a week. Sometimes, medical conditions such as GI difficulties or dental problems can lead to an eating disorder, the researchers found, as can depression and dementia.
“In older adults, body systems may not bounce back as quickly as they used to, so eating disorders resulting in rapid weight loss can create problems quickly.” has shown that 21% of older adults with an eating disorder die of the condition. The first vital step to take: Recognize that emotions most often lie at the root of the problem.Council on Aging, some people have a genetic predisposition to eating disorders. There are also three main patterns to eating disorders in older women. Some women will have struggled when they were younger, recover from their disorder, then relapse.
“Stress and anxiety can occur for older women due to life changes – a female midlife crisis,” says Nancy Lee Zucker, PhD, professor of psychiatry, behavioral sciences, and neuroscience at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, NC. “Some women use food intake and exercise to cope – they focus on self-improvement, initially. But then, their focus on food can become all-encompassing – it narrows their focus.
Challenges such as divorce or widowhood, an empty nest, financial problems, or adjusting to retirement can set off this behavior.“Individuals with certain personality traits may be more prone to eating disorders, such as those who have perfectionistic tendencies or obsessive impulses,” says Vafiadis.If a friend or loved one displays any of the following symptoms, she may need help:
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