Overweight and Anorexic?
According to a new Pediatrics paper, overweight and obese children and teens who lose weight are at significant risk for developing eating disorders, but their symptoms are often overlooked. It raises questions about the formal criteria used for diagnosing eating disorders, and suggests there may be a significant blind-spot among the doctors who treat children and teens, The Huffington Post reported.
Teens who may have been overweight as children are living off very restrictive diets as teens. These kids may loose the “baby fat” and then be within normal weight ranges, therefore masking their anorexic behavior. They can go unnoticed for years.
It is reported that at least 6 percent of youth have an eating disorder, according to figures cited in the study. Additionally, more than half of high school girls and 30 percent of high school boys have engaged in disordered eating behaviors, like fasting or taking diet pills, to lose weight.
Read more HERE.
Do you worry about your teen’s eating habits and worry if they can become dangerously unhealthy?
