Anorexia nervosa is currently viewed as an almost exclusively female disorder and women account for 90% of those diagnosed.
Bulimia nervosa affects 1-1.5% of females and there is a 10:1 ratio of females to males suffering from the disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder diagnosis found in males. This disorder involves individuals engaging in bingeing behaviors as one might with bulimia nervosa, however, those struggling with BED do not engage in compensatory behaviors after bingeing.
Muscle dysmorphia is a form of body dysmorphic disorder which involves preoccupation with the idea that one's body is too small or insufficiently lean or muscular. Muscle dysmorphia occurs almost exclusively in males (17).
Males make up 25% of people with anorexia. Because they are often diagnosed later than females, they are at higher risk of dying.
So far studies have found the prevalence of ON to be between 1% and 7% of the population, in fact, research is showing that 6.9% of men are likely to develop ON [8].
Prevalence and misconceptions. While anorexia is still more prevalent among women, as many as 0.3% of men may experience anorexia during their lifetime. Living with male anorexia or disordered eating does not mean you have feminine traits. Having an eating disorder does not indicate your sexual orientation.
Although most individuals with anorexia nervosa are adolescent and young adult women, these illnesses can also strike men and older women. Anorexia nervosa is found most often in Caucasians, but these illnesses also affect African Americans and other races.
Anorexia Nervosa in Men: The Statistics
It's estimated that around 10% to 25% of anorexia cases are males.
Anorexia is more common among girls and women than boys and men. Anorexia is also more common among girls and younger women than older women. On average, girls develop anorexia at 16 or 17. Teen girls between 13 and 19 and young women in their early 20s are most at risk.
Eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, are serious mental health conditions that can happen to anyone but are much more common in women. People with eating disorders eat too little or too much. Extreme eating or dieting is not a normal or healthy part of being a woman.
Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia are characterized by an overvalued drive for thinness and a disturbance in eating behavior.
Several, especially anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are more common in women, but they can all occur at any age and affect any gender. Eating disorders are often associated with preoccupations with food, weight or shape or with anxiety about eating or the consequences of eating certain foods.
The main difference between BN and AN are the disordered eating patterns through which the conditions are expressed. People with anorexia nervosa exhibit restrictive eating behavior. People with bulimia nervosa experience cycles of binging and and then purging behaviors.
While many different types of people may have anorexia nervosa, approximately 90% of those afflicted are women. Most individuals with the disorder develop it in late adolescence or early adulthood, though onset may occur earlier or later.
Anorexia Statistics
There are over 2,600 additional deaths per year from anorexia nervosa in the US. 50 - 80% of the risk for anorexia is genetic. 33 - 50% of anorexia patients have a comorbid mood disorder, such as depression. Mood disorders are more common in the binge/purge subtype than in the restrictive subtype.
Ninety to 95 percent of all cases of anorexia nervosa occur in females. Although the disorder can appear at any age, the peak age of onset is between 14 and 20 years.
Anorexia is more common in girls and women. However, boys and men have increasingly developed eating disorders, possibly related to growing social pressures. Anorexia is also more common among teenagers. Still, people of any age can develop this eating disorder, though it's rare in those over 40.
Two subtypes of anorexia nervosa have been categorized, restricting type and binge-eating/purging type.
Research estimates that 1.5% of women and 0.5% of men in the United States have bulimia. This equates to approximately 4.7 million females and 1.5 million males.
Bulimia nervosa: Men who develop this type of eating disorder will engage in two types of behaviors: bingeing and purging. During a binge, the man will eat excessively, often rapidly. He will often consume much more than he had intended, and may feel powerless to stop.
What Is ARFID? ARFID differs from orthorexia nervosa. This disorder is characterized by extremely “picky” eating habits and/or disturbed eating patterns. In most cases, people with ARFID are not concerned about gaining weight.