We live in a society where physical appearance prevails, where we are valued for our physical appearance.
We are continually exposed to media that use advertising to establish certain canons about what is beautiful and what is not, also promoted by the world of catwalks, which usually show an unreal image of women, and also of the men.
All this has caused Concern about physical appearance is one of the great scourges of modern times. Although this fixation on beauty used to be attributed as something more common in women, the truth is that there are also many men who live pending the score on the scale or the proportion of their features.
What are the most common eating disorders?
This obsession with physical attractiveness can become a serious problem for our mental and physical health, especially when it comes to eating disorders. Today we will see what the main eating disorders are and what their main characteristics are and the dangers they bring to our health.
1. Anorexia nervosa
The anorexia nervosa is characterized by an abrupt and significant weight lossplacing this below the healthy minimums. This low weight is the effect of a pathological behavior of the affected person, who performs meticulous control over food intake, due to his fear of gaining weight and a severe distortion of his body image, associated with low self-esteem.
People who suffer from anorexia eat very little and use certain rituals and mechanisms to avoid gaining weight. They only consume a few foods, which causes a significant deficiency of vitamins, minerals and macronutrients, which ends up seriously affecting their physical health.
It is a disorder closely associated with the obsession with the physique and a thin figure. They may stop eating, take certain remedies to have less appetite, or consume laxatives to lose weight quickly. This eating disorder is usually suffered by adolescent women, although in recent times cases of adult women and even men with this condition have increased.
The bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by frequent binge eating. During these crises, bulimic people eat a large amount of food in an uncontrolled manner, and subsequently carry out purging rituals to avoid gaining weight. These may include making yourself vomit, exercising for long hours, not eating, or using diuretics and laxatives.
This disease is also more common in women than in men, and usually begins during adolescence. The person suffering from bulimia is completely aware that their eating behavior is pathological.
The causes of bulimia have been studied in depth and yet there are no clear conclusions. It is often said that there are both genetic and psychological, family and/or cultural factors that could make some individuals more prone than others.
3. Orthorexia
The orthorexia It is an alteration in eating behavior that affects more and more people. orthorexia is characterized by a pathological obsession with healthy food. They are people who carefully choose the foods they are going to eat, they have meticulous control over the components of everything they eat and the preparation of the food.
This obsession can lead to a really unhealthy control over ingredients, cooking methods… It is often said that people who develop orthorexia are people who begin to become obsessed with food little by little. In the early stages, they may avoid eating foods like red meat or sugars, and little by little their ‘manias’ expand.
4. Vigorexia
The vigorexia It is a disorder that not only involves an imbalance in eating behavior, but also muscle dysmorphia, also known as Adonis syndrome or reverse anorexia. Vigorexia is the obsession with showing off powerful muscles and a strong physique.
In this obsession, the affected person is afraid of looking too weak or thin, and for this reason they exercise their body in gyms in order to increase muscle mass. In addition, they ingest supplements such as proteins and anabolics that help them become more and more muscular.
The permarexia It is an eating disorder that has emerged recently, and that is beginning to worry health authorities. permarexia consists of obsession with following diets and regimens permanently.
People affected with this eating disorder are continually following strict diets to lose weight, have bad eating habits and irrational behaviors. Permarexia is not considered a disorder in itself, but it is considered a risk behavior that can be the precursor to serious diseases such as bulimia or anorexia.
6. Potomania
It is important to stay well hydrated, and drinking water is one of those universal recommendations that we all try to adhere to. Drink two liters of water a day, as the doctor tells us.
Being hydrated makes our skin healthier, and facilitates digestion and fat loss, but there are people who push the limits of this practice. And yes, drinking a lot of water is a harmful habit for our health. This excessive fluid consumption is usually called potomania or hydrolexia, and it is a nutritional imbalance that consists of drinking a lot of water, despite not being thirsty.
Drinking too much water can put our organic functions at risk, since it saturates the function of our kidneys and alters the normal components of the blood, among other things.
7. Pregorexia
The pregorexia It is an eating disorder typical of some pregnant women. These women in a state of good hope They stop eating what is necessary so that the fetus can develop without problems, and they usually diet and do very intense sports routines. with the aim of maintaining a slim figure.
This disorder, similar to anorexia (although less severe), is suffered by women who, while pregnant, have an intense fear of gaining weight during the nine months of pregnancy. Something that is biologically impossible and that can put the health of the baby on the way at risk.
It is widely studied that women who suffer from pregorexia have a history related to anorexia. But it also happens, sometimes, that women who develop pregorexia end up suffering from anorexia.
Other factors that would cause pregorexia would be perfectionism, emotional instability and low self-esteem.
8. Pica
The pica It is an eating disorder that affects some children. It is characterized by the uncontrollable desire of the little ones in the house to ingest substances or objects that are not nutritioussuch as dirt, ants, baking soda, glue, insects, paper, small pieces of plastic or wood… They are all objects and things that, in principle, have no nutritional value and that are probably not advisable to ingest.
Pica is linked to children with cognitive difficulties and other developmental disorders.
9. Manorexia
The manorexia It is an eating disorder that has some similarities with anorexia and vigorexia. Manorexia is sometimes known as “male anorexia,” although this is a simplification since it has its own symptoms. People who suffer from this disorder They are genuinely afraid of gaining weight, and that leads them to exercise their body excessively. and to always be following unhealthy diets and fasts.
It is a disease that has been especially represented in men who work in the fashion sector and in sports that require a very light figure, such as horse racing.
10. Drunkorexia
The drunkorexiaalso called drunkorexia, is an eating disorder that has had a great rise among adolescents and young adults. It is about the practice of stopping eating food to counteract the excess calories produced by large amounts of alcohol which they consume for several days.
Drunkorexia is a habit that is terribly bad for a person’s mental and physical health, since it is an intermediate point between anorexia nervosa and alcohol addiction.
