What is an eating disorder? Most people don’t know; an eating disorder is characterized by severe disturbances in eating habits, whether that be starving or stuffing one’s self. It is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder – seven million women and one million men. But eating disorders are not just a problem in the united states, in fact  at least 1.1 million people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder. There are many underlying causes to eating disorders, and the reality of it is: these causes are not connected in any way, from biological factors, to cultural factors, there is nothing to link them together. The effects on the other hand, are all physically damaging to the body.

Genetics:

A: Biological Siblings

    1. If your biological sibling or parent has or had an eating disorder, you are more likely to develop one as well

B: Genetics

     2. Researchers have identified specific chromosomes that may be associated with bulimia and anorexia. In particular, regions on chromosome 10 have been linked to bulimia as well as obesity

Culture:

A: Death

   1. Heidi Guenther, a ballerina that died at age 22 from an eating disorder.

     2. When she died on June 30th 1997, she weighed only 100 pounds

B: Self-Esteem 

    3. In westernized countries, women often experience unrealistic cultural demands for thinness. They respond by linking their self-esteem, or self-disgust, to their weight

Effects:

A. Death

    1. Eating disorders have a higher death rate than any other psychiatric disorder, including depression and schizophrenia

B. Anorexia

2. In anorexia starvation is the main effect, starvation has major effects on all major body organs. The liver and intestines typically lose the highest percentage of their own weight during starvation, followed by the heart and kidneys which both lose a moderate amount of weight

Conclusion:

Furthermore, there are many causes to eating disorders, and the reality of it is: these causes are not connected, there is nothing to link them together. But the effects, are all physically damaging or deadly. The causes range from genetic factors to hormonal abnormalities. People who have an eating disorder need to seek treatment right away, this is serious stuff that can cause long term damage to their body. An eating disorder is not something that teens do for attention, they develop an eating disorder because there is a serious underlying problem. Men and women all over the world struggle with eating disorders every day. Of the many causes, a desire for attention is not one of them.