Eating Disorders In Seniors

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, 9% of the U.S. population will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. That’s over 30 million Americans! Sadly, per a 2020 study, 1 person dies every 52 minutes as a result of their eating disorder. We tend to think of eating disorders as a young person’s disease. Moreover, we also tend to think of eating disorders as something only girls face. Sadly, neither of those things is true. Anyone can develop an eating disorder—even seniors.

Sadly, research indicates that a third of patients treated for anorexia and bulimia relapse within the first few years of treatment. Eating disorders often follow a person throughout their life. The sad truth is that no one ages out of an eating disorder.

What is an eating disorder?

Unless you’ve struggled with an eating disorder, you can’t understand how difficult they are. They’re more than an irrational fear of gaining weight and a desire to be thin. They’re complex, nuanced diseases that affect the mind every bit as much as the body. Eating disorders change the way you view your body, food, your weight, and even eating. They can turn something as simple as a holiday meal with your family into a real-life nightmare and greatly reduce your quality of life—and, if left untreated, your life span.

Additionally, eating disorders have a serious, lasting impact on your health and body, including your bones, heart, hair, teeth, digestive system, and even your eyes. Sadly, even if you seek treatment and reverse your habits, you might not be able to reverse the damage to your body. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and bulimia nervosa.

Anorexia

When we think of eating disorders, anorexia is often the one that comes to mind. People who have anorexia have a fear of gaining weight and heavily restrict their calories to stay dangerously thin. However, not every individual with anorexia is thin or even underweight, depending on what stage of the illness they’re in. Anorexia damages the brain as well as the body, making it difficult for sufferers to recover.

While people who’ve never had an eating disorder might tell a sufferer to “just eat”, this disorder is not merely related to food and aesthetics. Oftentimes, it stems from a need for control or unchecked perfectionism. Anorexia has the second-highest death rate of any mental illness, second only to opioid overdoses. And while people with anorexia are masters of deflection, insisting to loved ones that they’re “fine” or flat out denying they have a problem, some telltale symptoms of anorexia include:

• Extreme weight loss or a bony, underweight appearance
• Fatigue or weakness
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Constipation and stomach pain
• Reduced bone mass, also known as osteopenia
• Low cold tolerance and feeling cold all the time
• Hair loss
• Stomachaches
• Trouble focusing or concentrating
• Depression and anxiety

Other signs someone may have an eating disorder can include an obsession or hyper-fixation on food. They might know the calorie content of food, exercise excessively, and make excuses for not eating. They might also be prolific cooks and bakers who love making food for others without eating it themselves. When anorexics do eat, they’ll often turn to “safe foods”, often healthy or low-calorie, or eat an excessively clean diet, full of healthy, whole foods. Those with anorexia may also have trouble sleeping and withdraw socially.

Bulimia

Bulimia is a serious, potentially fatal eating disorder. Those with this disorder will eat large amounts of food in one sitting and usually consume it quickly. They may also horde food in their homes or rooms. When bulimics binge, they do so in secret and carry a sense of shame around their eating habits. Unlike those with anorexia, those with bulimia often feel like they lose control over their eating habits, particularly when they binge.

After binging, sufferers will typically feel panicked and ashamed. According to the Mayo Clinic, they’ll try to rid themselves of calories in unhealthy ways, such as purging (vomiting or abusing laxatives). Sadly, many medical conditions can arise, especially in seniors, including electrolyte imbalances, colon problems, and heart and kidney damage. Symptoms of bulimia may include:

• Fear of weight gain
• Trying to lose weight in unhealthy, drastic ways, such as using laxatives and diuretics, even when they aren’t needed
• Fasting between binges
• Vomiting on purpose
• Exercising excessively
• Feeling a loss of control, where you feel unable to stop eating
• Having a poor body image
• Suffering from comorbidities, such as anxiety or depression
• Eating unusually large amounts of food in one sitting
• Displaying damaged teeth or gums
• Weight fluctuations
• Swollen hands, feet, jaw, or cheeks
• Hyper-focus on food and dieting

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States, affecting 1.25% of adult women and 0.42% of adult men. Like bulimia, those who binge eat consume excessive amounts of food in one sitting. Unlike bulimia, individuals who suffer from binge eating disorder typically aren’t overly concerned with losing weight, nor do they purge to rid themselves of the calories afterward. Someone who binges at least once a week for 3 months may suffer from BED.

Individuals who binge eat may feel ashamed, hopeless, and even disgusted after a binge, but feel powerless to fight their compulsions. Binge eating disorder also has a wide range of health complications, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even some types of cancer. Additionally, binging may begin to affect a sufferer’s mental health, making them more likely to struggle with depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Other common symptoms of BED may include:

• Eating alone or eating in secret
• Feeling depressed or ashamed after a binge
• Eating even when you’re not hungry or already full
• Feeling a loss of control around eating habits
• Eating excessive amounts of food in one sitting, often over a prolonged period
• Eating very fast during binges
• Gaining weight
• Isolating yourself from others, especially during mealtimes

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What to look for in yourself or someone you know:

• Significant weight loss or weight gain in a relatively short amount of time
• Excessive hair loss
• Feeling cold all the time
• Medical problems, such as heart problems, gastrointestinal issues, and dental damage
• Disappearing food, an increase in food bills, or an excessive amount of food that has been thrown away
• Desire to eat alone.
• Disappearing after eating

Are eating disorders more dangerous for seniors?

Older bodies in general have a more difficult time bouncing back from injuries or surgery. Sadly, the same is true of older bodies in the grips of an eating disorder. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, older adults with eating disorders often experience more severe and enduring health consequences later in their lives. Additionally, they may see a rapid decline in their cognitive function due to malnutrition, restrictive dieting, and extreme weight loss. If you or a loved one is struggling with an eating disorder, it’s important to seek treatment sooner rather than later.

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders(ANAD) General Eating Disorder Statistics:

• Eating disorders affect at least 9% of the population worldwide.
• 9% of the U.S. population, or 28.8 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.
• Less than 6% of people with eating disorders are medically diagnosed as “underweight.”
• 28-74% of the risk for eating disorders is through genetic heritability.
• Eating disorders are among the deadliest mental illnesses, second only to opioid overdose.
• 10,200 deaths each year are the direct result of an eating disorder—that’s one death every 52 minutes.
• About 26% of people with eating disorders attempt suicide.
• The economic cost of eating disorders is $64.7 billion every year.

With all this being said, people of all ages are affected, and all ages need to get treatment. There is always help. Please talk to your doctor or contact NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association).

This article was originally published on SeniorFitnesswithMeredith.com. Used with permission.

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