14 DAY TRIAL // Until not long ago, eating disorders and severe weight issues were somehow restricted only to women, in that it was them who were most self-conscious and who developed unhealthy eating habits. However, a new medical study cited by Reuters shows that men too, athletes, to be more specific, are beginning to be more prone to eating disorders, prompted by their desire to beat the competition and to make the most of the advantages of a leaner body.
The recent deaths of several wrestlers who developed eating disorders, in a fatal combination with meds to build up muscle, so as to make it in other categories have drawn the attention of the media and doctors alike. One in particular, Dr. James L. Glazer of the Maine Medical Center in Portland, believes that the number of eating disorders among male athletes is on the rise. Therefore, drastic measures should already be taken to prevent the phenomenon from spreading.
The temptation to lose increasingly more weight, Dr. Glazer explained to Reuters, may first arise upon noticing what the loss of a few pounds – due to training and a healthy diet at first – can do in terms of performance. “Often he’ll notice that he’s getting faster and that his placement when he competes is getting higher and better. That will change what is a good and a healthy dieting pattern into one that becomes a little problematic and dangerous.” Dr. Glazer explains.
The situation is all the more dangerous as, of course, it’s not only wrestlers who have taken up extreme diets and extenuating workouts to lose the weight. Dr. Glazer’s study reveals that cyclists, triathletes and Nordic skiers, all “engaged at the recreational level,” have started to show the early signs of an eating disorder.
At the same time, Glazer underlines that admitting to the harsh reality of having one such disorder is not to be seen as embarrassing, but as the first step towards recovery – a recovery that, for athletes, can be more painful than anything they have come to know so far. “Sometimes medications are appropriate and helpful and sometimes athletes get into so much trouble with unhealthy eating that they need to be hospitalized,” Dr. Glazer says, adding that, “but that’s a real minority.”
There is hope still for all the men who feel like they’ve taken dieting and working out a bit too far, letting them evolve into something that has nothing to do with sports, the doctor stresses. “Many men can turn things around just with a little bit of increased awareness about nutrition and healthy weight,” he explains.