'Eating Disorders: Not Just for Women'

[yolland]

Eating Disorders: Not Just for Women

by Sandra G. Boodman
Washington Post, March 13, 2007

They exercise for hours, devise rigid rituals surrounding food, obsessively monitor their weight and yearn to resemble the taut-bodied celebrities whose images grace magazine covers. But the models and actors this group typically emulates are not the skeletal Kate Moss or wispy Nicole Kidman but the chiseled muscularity of soccer superstar David Beckham and actor Daniel Craig, the latest screen incarnation of James Bond. The reason: These eating disorder sufferers are male.

Long regarded as a women's problem, the trio of serious eating disorders--the self-starvation of anorexia, the gorging and purging that characterize bulimia and the uncontrolled consumption of large amounts of food that is binge eating--are increasingly affecting males.

Last month, Harvard researchers reported the results of the first national study of eating disorders, in a population of nearly 9000 adults, and found that 25% of those with anorexia or bulimia and 40% of binge eaters were men. The authors called the rate "surprisingly high" because earlier studies had estimated that males accounted for about 10% of the cases of bulimia and anorexia, which can be fatal. Binge eating is not officially recognized as a psychiatric disorder and is not considered life-threatening, but its prevalence among men surprised some eating disorders specialists.

Although disordered eating is well-known among teenage girls and young women, experts say the problem among boys and young men is frequently overlooked by parents and coaches and under-treated by doctors. Males, they now believe, appear to be vulnerable to social pressures to achieve the perfect body similar to those that have long plagued women. But unlike the female ideal, which tends to focus on a "goal weight" or overall skinniness, men's focus is nearly always on achieving "six-pack" abs.

"Men are more reluctant to admit losing control" about food, said James I. Hudson, lead author of the study, which estimated that about 9 million Americans suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lives. The research was published last month in the journal Biological Psychiatry. Stigma, Hudson added, remains a major barrier: Many men are loath to admit having a problem that is so strongly associated with women, fearing they will seem unmanly. Even if they do, they may have trouble finding treatment: Some eating disorder programs admit only women. And in sharp contrast to the parade of female celebrities who have publicly discussed their eating disorders, few well-known men have come forward.

The most notable exception is actor Dennis Quaid, who has talked about his battle with what he termed "manorexia," for which he sought treatment. Quaid said his problem started when he lost 40 pounds to play Doc Holliday in the 1994 movie "Wyatt Earp." Actor Billy Bob Thornton has said he, too, has battled anorexia, at one point losing 59 pounds, and singer Elton John has said he suffered from bulimia. Former male model Ron Saxen has written a new book describing his ordeal with binge eating.

Some men have suffered from all three. Among them is Matt Gaebel, 22, who was hospitalized for anorexia during his sophomore year at North Carolina State University after his weight plummeted from 155 to 106 pounds. Gabel, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall, said he subsequently developed bulimia to cope with the weight he gained during treatment for anorexia, then turned to binge eating out of concern that self-induced vomiting would ruin his teeth. Binge eating, said Gaebel, who lives with his parents in Cary, N.C., "calms me down." It has also left him feeling fat as well as "very isolated and depressed"; he now weighs 225 pounds.

Isolation is not a new feeling. Gaebel said he was the only male eating disorder patient most of the months he was hospitalized at the University of North Carolina. The only male he met there, he said, was a very young boy struggling with his homosexuality. Gaebel said he worried that people might erroneously think he was gay, because male homosexuality is associated with the development of eating disorders. (Experts say the increased risk is not intrinsic, but stems from the emphasis on weight and appearance among gay men.) "I really didn't have anyone to talk to," Gaebel recalled. Although not overweight when he developed anorexia, he had been teased in middle school for his "baby fat" and "love handles." Such experiences are common among men with eating disorders, said psychologist Cynthia Bulik, director of UNC's eating disorders program.

Psychiatrist Arnold Andersen, director of the eating disorders program at the University of Iowa and a widely recognized expert on male eating problems, said he has treated teenagers who developed bulimia or anorexia after failing to make a sports team where weight is paramount, such as wrestling. Other patients include men who began dieting to meet job requirements -- and couldn't stop. "We've had a number of military people like colonels," said Andersen, who was formerly on the staffs of Johns Hopkins Hospital and the National Institutes of Health. "The military is very strict, and they're afraid they're going to get chucked out" or fail to win a promotion if they don't lose weight to meet certain requirements.

Adelaide Robb, associate professor of psychiatry at George Washington University School of Medicine, said that many of the risk factors for males are the same as for females, although boys are more likely to be overweight and are typically older than girls when they develop an eating disorder. In both sexes there is often a family history of eating disorders--Gaebel said that is true in his family--as well as perfectionist and obsessive behaviors and a history of dieting. Treatment for males and females involves cognitive therapy to overcome a distorted body image, which is at the core of eating disorders. Depression and substance abuse may also be present.

Parents of boys, Robb said, are much less likely to recognize the problem and more apt to deny it. Pediatricians, she said, often don't suspect it, either. "Boys say, 'I'm getting into shape,' " Robb said, "not, 'I'm fat and gross and need to go on a diet,' " as do girls. Initially, she added, many parents are thrilled that their teenage son who could polish off huge quantities of food in short order has sworn off junk food, carbohydrates or pizza in favor of turkey sandwiches, broiled salmon and fruit. "They often think he's adopted healthy eating habits."

"A teenage boy shouldn't be eating what his 110-pound, dieting mother would eat," Robb cautioned. "It's normal for a half-gallon of milk and a loaf of bread to disappear every 48 hours if there's a teenage boy in the house." A notable change in eating habits, she noted, should prompt a call to a physician or nutritionist.

Parents, Robb said, should model healthy behavior and avoid lamenting how chubby they are or trying to run a "fat-free" household. "When parents are hung up on their own weight issues, their kids are at higher risk," she said. "Boys can be as susceptible as girls."

Eating disorders, Robb and other experts say, appear to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. "Genes load the gun, and environment pulls the trigger," said North Carolina's Bulik. "But one of the problems I see for male eating disorder patients is just being taken seriously."

 

[FitzChivalry]

In my early 20s, I volunteered at our local Gay & Lesbian Center for the Youth Group. The organizer of the Youth Group had her B.A. in Psychology and was getting her Master's in Social Work (and is now getting her Doctorate in Epidemiology), and her Master's thesis was on eating disorders along the lines of sexual orientation.

Her thesis came out as she had expected. Heterosexual women and homosexual men were the groups with the highest eating disorders. Heterosexual men came in way below the top two groups. And homosexual women had the lowest percentage of eating disorders.

Now, if I remember correctly, the theory went something like-- since male sexuality is aroused primarily through sight and viewing, then groups that were the object of male's sexual viewing had rates of high eating disorder, in an attempt to make themselves desireable to the males that were viewing them.

Now I know that there are many theories on eating disorders, and I don't know if the above theory still holds any water, or if it has since been debunked, but I remember that was the popular thought at the time.

 

[yolland]

I'm not sure if the study being reported here included data on the sexual orientation of the men in question. Of course this isn't 'real' evidence, and I only bring them up because the article mentions them, but Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton and Ron Saxen aren't gay (though they're all in the public eye, which may be relevant), and neither is the former NCU student who was willing to be quoted for the article. It is true that up until now, it's been routinely assumed that male eating disorder rates were much less than this study found them to be; on the other hand, this is the largest eating disorders study to date, and it's part of the NCS-R, which is highly regarded and extensively drawn upon by mental health professionals. I don't know what source the social worker you knew was using for her data, its sample size and methodology etc. Part of the point of the article seems to be that while eating disorders among men are certainly presumed to be increasing, on the other hand they're also now suspected of having been seriously underreported for some time due to failures of relatives, friends and doctors to recognize what they're seeing, since they tend to think of eating disorders as a 'women's problem' and decide what trouble signs they need to look for accordingly.

My guess, and it's nothing more than a guess, is that while it probably remains true that eating disorders are considerably more common among gay men than straight men, the gap is probably nowhere near as large as was previously assumed. The theory you cite certainly makes sense though, and I've seen numerous arguments to that effect before.

 

[redhotswami]

There are loads of reported cases of eating disorders among both sexes at my university. As of now there are more reported cases of females than males, but that is limited to those reported. As this article states, there is certainly a denial element.
Many of the males that are reported to having eating disorders are in athletics and/or fraternities. I don't mean to be crass, but you would think an obsession for being fit and trim would include decreasing alcoholic beverage consumption. But noooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

And you're right, yolland, eating disorders have been labeled as a "women problem" and thus I'm sure there are loads more serious cases out there than are reported.

 

[Chizip]

Initially, she added, many parents are thrilled that their teenage son who could polish off huge quantities of food in short order has sworn off junk food, carbohydrates or pizza in favor of turkey sandwiches, broiled salmon and fruit. "They often think he's adopted healthy eating habits."

ummm, turkey, salmon, fruit >>>>>> pizza and junk food

sure if you take it to the extreme it can become a problem, but eating healthily instead of junk food is a good thing

the problem for guys is that not only do you have to lose the fat, you also have to build muscle to become "buff." society says girls don't like fat guys and they don't like skinny guys, they like well defined muscular guys. this leads to teenage kids taking things like steroids and hgh and other harmful things, which is even more concerning.

 

[redhotswami]

the problem for guys is that not only do you have to lose the fat, you also have to build muscle to become "buff." society says girls don't like fat guys and they don't like skinny guys, they like well defined muscular guys. this leads to teenage kids taking things like steroids and hgh and other harmful things, which is even more concerning.

whats interesting about that was there was a study done on both male and female students. each student was given a spectrum that had thin, average, and overweight points listed. the males were asked to place marks on a) their perceptions of where the women in school stood on the spectrum and b) their perceptions of THEMSELVES on the spectrum and c) their perceptions on what their ideal is on the spectrum and d) their perceptions on where they think the women want them to be

Turns out, the males think the females are right in the middle, average, fine, etc. However, they thought that they themselves were overweight and that they themselves wanted to be thinner, and that the females wanted them to be thinner (I hope I am sounding coherent here...)

For the females, it was exactly the same, respectively.

In short: All the students thought that the ideal body weight was less than what they are, but in reality, those students believe that the current body weight of the opposite sex was just fine.

I just found this interesting because we all know what lengths some will go through to pursue others (sidenote: this study did not speak to gay and lesbian perceptions--delimitation right there!). However, as this study has shown, the ones they were trying to pursue think they are fine just where they are!

I wish more students could read up on this study. The pressure to be thin and superbuff is all in the mind of the individual.

 

[yolland]

the problem for guys is that not only do you have to lose the fat, you also have to build muscle to become "buff." society says girls don't like fat guys and they don't like skinny guys, they like well defined muscular guys. this leads to teenage kids taking things like steroids and hgh and other harmful things, which is even more concerning.

I don't know that I'd call it 'more' concerning, except to the extent that steroid abuse is more common. But eating disorders are serious mental illnesses with serious physiological consequences, particularly anorexia which has a 10% fatality rate and from which an estimated 20% never recover, continuing to chronically struggle with the compulsion on into adulthood, with attendant longterm consequences for their health and achievements. This article perhaps doesn't emphasize the point quite so strongly as some others I read did, but one distinguishing characteristic of male anorexics and bulimics compared to females is this obsession with appearing 'buff' as well as trim, and actually this can result in an appearance which may incorrectly read as 'healthy' (or at least not unhealthy) at first glance to others, who tend to automatically equate 'skinny guy' with scrawny, no-muscle-tone guy, which is not what most male anorexics and bulimics actually look like. Although their caloric intake isn't adequate to enable 'bulking up' despite excessive exercise, typically they will have notable muscle definition (thanks to the testosterone--not something female anorexics and bulimics, who often also exercise excessively, have enough of to achieve), and the tendency to automatically perceive that as a sign of 'fitness' may override the more at-second-glance recognition that they are also far too thin.

 

[onebloodonelife]

A friend of mine was/is anorexic. In 8th grade, he actually had to go into the hospital because he had a heart problem from anorexia. Now, he's fine, and has to take antidepressants, but like the article said, he worked out a lot and was a cross country runner, so I'm guessing that nobody knew until his heart gave him trouble.

 

[yolland]

^ Yeah, I ran cross country for years myself, am still a distance runner today and I've encountered a few male anorexics that way myself, although none I knew well. I don't have any stats, but would be willing to bet that's one group where you find quite a bit of it.

 

[redkat]

Turns out, the males think the females are right in the middle, average, fine, etc. However, they thought that they themselves were overweight and that they themselves wanted to be thinner, and that the females wanted them to be thinner (I hope I am sounding coherent here...)

I've seen studies like this and it is interesting and I do believe that few of us see ourselves the way other people do. I know or think I'm harsher on myself than anyone else. My problem though is that we know Americans are overweight and getting bigger. So being average/middle is changing. The average woman is overweight.

Certainly someone overly concerned about their body image isn't going to want to look like the average/normal person.

 

[Liesje]

A friend of mine was/is anorexic. In 8th grade, he actually had to go into the hospital because he had a heart problem from anorexia. Now, he's fine, and has to take antidepressants, but like the article said, he worked out a lot and was a cross country runner, so I'm guessing that nobody knew until his heart gave him trouble.

In college I did a thesis paper on eating disorders and gymnastics and I sent out surveys to a sample of volunteers who had competed in the highest levels of the sport. Based on the responses I got, the person in the worst condition was actually a guy. He had been hospitalized many times and admitted he still struggled with his ED. He also said that I didn't have as much to do with body image than it did with some troubling events in his past and his low self-confidence. He also struggled with depression.


Now I don't know if this is a shot in the dark, but it seems to me that EDs are more common among women because we tend to internalize and punish ourselves more than redirect our frustrations elsewhere. When I see my male friends put down by bad experiences, they tend to react by being angry towards other people. When I feel really put down and my self-confidence is damaged, I'll blame it all on myself and think "yeah maybe if I wasn't so dumb, maybe if I had more self control and wasn't so fat..."

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Now I don't know if this is a shot in the dark, but it seems to me that EDs are more common among women because we tend to internalize and punish ourselves more than redirect our frustrations elsewhere. When I see my male friends put down by bad experiences, they tend to react by being angry towards other people

I agree with that, in general(and of course there are always exceptions) women do that-and we are socialized, and in some cases raised, to do that. Men tend to be far more likely to put their insecurities and self-doubts onto others, and they are socialized, and in some cases raised, to do that.

 

[onebloodonelife]

Now I don't know if this is a shot in the dark, but it seems to me that EDs are more common among women because we tend to internalize and punish ourselves more than redirect our frustrations elsewhere. When I see my male friends put down by bad experiences, they tend to react by being angry towards other people. When I feel really put down and my self-confidence is damaged, I'll blame it all on myself and think "yeah maybe if I wasn't so dumb, maybe if I had more self control and wasn't so fat..."

Yes, I definitely think you're on to something there. I know that for myself, I look at my body and don't like the way it looks. I have stretch marks on a good portion of my hips and most of my legs from being on Prednisone, a steroid, for my Crohn's disease. I also gained 15-20 pounds from it. Sure, I know that it's not my fault, but I still look at those areas of my body with a bit of disgust, and probably wouldn't tell anyone how I feel about it. And, so it gets internalized instead.

 

[Liesje]

And for many women, it's not just about looks. Women are socialized (or allow themselves to be socialized) to measure self-worth and self-confidence based on physical appearance, namely weight. Sometimes I have a bad day and say to Phil "I feel so fat and ugly today." It's not because someone told me I looked fat, but because something happened that made me feel bad, and I internalize. My body becomes the way of controlling and measuring self-worth in general. I don't really care what anyone else thinks about how I look, but if I start to feel dumb or useless at work, I feel like the easiest way to make up for it is to practice discipline and self control by losing weight. I probably sound like a broken record these days, but I've always felt EDs have far more to do with self-confidence and self-worth in general than explicitly feeling bad about one's weight or body. This is why many rape victims, girls who feel they were abandoned or not loved, and girls who suffered a traumatic event develop EDs. It is a way to continually internalize that pain but also maintain a false sense of control in their lives. No amount of research regarding the media causing eating disorders will ever convince me otherwise.

 

[Merlot Goddess]

This thread brings Daniel Johns of Silverchair to mind...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwLh-Azsmsc

 

[yolland]

NEW YORK (Reuters, Apr 11) -- Gay and bisexual men may be at far higher risk for eating disorders than heterosexual men, while women seem to be equally affected regardless of their sexual orientation, a new study suggests.

Researchers surveyed 516 New York City residents; 126 were straight men and the rest were gay or bisexual men and women. The results showed that more than 15% of gay or bisexual men had at some time suffered anorexia, bulimia or binge-eating disorder, or at least certain symptoms of those disorders--a problem known as a "subclinical" eating disorder. That compared with less than 5% of heterosexual men, the researchers report in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

In contrast, sexual orientation did not seem to influence the risk of eating disorder symptoms among women. Just under 10% of lesbian and bisexual women had ever had a full-blown or subclinical eating disorder, as had 8% of heterosexual women.

It's not clear why men's sexual orientation may affect their vulnerability to eating disorders, according to the study authors, led by Dr. Matthew Feldman of the National Development and Research Institutes, a non-profit research organization in New York. Other studies have had similar findings, and one theory is that gay men have different ideals about physical appearance, and, similar to women, they may feel pressure to stay thin.

In their study, Feldman and colleague Dr. Ilan H. Meyer found an elevated eating disorder risk among men who were active in recreational groups, such as sports teams, that primarily included other gay or bisexual men. On the other hand, men who said they felt closely connected to the gay community had a lower risk of currently suffering eating disorder symptoms. This supports the theory that acceptance in the gay community boosts men's self-esteem and may offer a buffer against eating disorders, according to the researchers.

As for the findings in women, Feldman and Meyer say, they refute the notion that homosexual and bisexual women may be less vulnerable to body-image issues and eating disorders.

SOURCE: International Journal of Eating Disorders, April 2007.

 

[Irvine511]

any flip through a gay magazine -- The Advocate, Out -- will reveal advertisements and models with bodies every bit as unattainable as any female image on television.

 

[A_Wanderer]

One more reason why it's good to be a heterosexual man.

 

[Irvine511]

on the flip side of this whole thing:

[q]Lesbians twice as likely to be obese

April 28, 2007 12:00

LESBIANS are twice as likely as heterosexual women to be overweight or obese, which puts them at greater risk for obesity-related health problems and death, US researchers said.

The report, published in the American Journal of Public Health, is one of the first large studies to look at obesity among lesbians.

Ulrike Boehmer of the Boston University School of Public Health and colleagues looked at a 2002 national survey of almost 6000 women, and found that lesbians were 2.69 times more likely to be overweight and 2.47 times more likely to be obese.

“Lesbians have more than twice the odds of (being) overweight,” the authors wrote.

This would put them at a higher risk for diabetes and heart disease, among other ailments.

“Our findings indicate that lesbian sexual identity is linked to a greater prevalence of overweight and obesity,” the authors wrote in the study, released this week.

They reviewed smaller studies that have suggested a higher prevalence of obesity among lesbians and the possible reasons why.

“The results of these studies indicate that lesbian women have a better body image than do heterosexual women,” they wrote.

But the authors said they placed little confidence in the idea that lesbians were more muscular than straight women, and thus were more likely to have a high body mass index, or BMI, while having little body fat.

High muscle mass is “unlikely to lead to classification as obese,” the researchers said.

“We reported greater odds of both overweight and obesity in lesbians and we feel confident in asserting that these differences are a result of increased adiposity,” the researchers wrote.[/q]



i find it very interesting how this is -- possibly -- the flip side of the same coin of learned self-hate. sure, it's nice that lesbians aren't subjected to the near-impossible body standards that straight women and gay men are subjected to, but obesity isn't a cosmetic issue, it's a health issue.

 

[joyfulgirl]

on the flip side of this whole thing:

[q]Lesbians twice as likely to be obese


They reviewed smaller studies that have suggested a higher prevalence of obesity among lesbians and the possible reasons why.

“The results of these studies indicate that lesbian women have a better body image than do heterosexual women,” they wrote.

I don't get how obesity in lesbians indicates that lesbians have a better body image? Am I reading that wrong?

 

[Irvine511]

I don't get how obesity in lesbians indicates that lesbians have a better body image? Am I reading that wrong?

my guess is that it means that lesbians tend to feel happier with the bodies they have than do straight women, so there's not as much of an obsession with diet and exercise.

but i'm not sure.

 

[yolland]

Skimming over the study online (.pdf), the authors don't themselves seem to suggest any correlation between obesity and and a "better body image" (in fact, I couldn't find that phrase in there; rather that "lesbians have somewhat different norms or preferences for body weight than heterosexual women", based on other studies referenced, not their own). And they did note that, like heterosexual women, their subjects mostly held accurate perceptions of their own weight (this is different, of course, from noting their feelings about it, which unfortunately they didn't inquire into)--i.e., if they were medically overweight or obese they recognized it, and acknowledged it would be good for them to lose some weight. They also noted that at least one previous study had found a higher rate of binge-eating disorder among lesbians than among heterosexual women. So, their speculative conclusion seemed to be NOT that lesbians have a "better body image" and this leads to obesity, but rather that a combination of stress (possibly leading to increased binge-eating behavior) and lower responsiveness to the heterosexual female ideal of thinness for its own sake--a phenomenon also noted by other studies with African-American and Latina women, who were in fact *slightly* overrepresented in this study, though nowhere near enough to explain a more-than-twice-the-rate difference--might be to blame. They end by suggesting that weight-awareness public health efforts aimed at lesbians might do better to emphasize the desirability of being fit and eating healthy foods, rather than the desirability of being slender in itself.

Nothing earthshaking really, although the possibility that "active resistance" (as they put it) to heterosexual female body ideals might effectively leave lesbians undesirably unmotivated to eat healthily, avoid bingeing, and exercise is interesting. It perhaps raises some interesting questions about the extent to which heterosexuals (male and female) and gay men who claim to follow a healthy lifestyle "only for the sake of fitness, and not because I'm trying to please anyone" etc. are in fact being honest or accurate about the full scope of their motivations. That's not to say having a poor body image or chronic fear of "not measuring up" are desirable or good for you psychologically--as usual, I guess, it all comes down to balance. For better or for worse, in this country most of us have ample opportunity to live a sedentary life compounded by overconsumption of cheap, readily available high-calorie foods, so I guess by some means or another, it becomes necessary from a public health standpoint for disincentives to that to be developed and promoted; the question then becomes, which incentives are realistically going to have maximal effect for which people and with minimal adverse consequences for mental health, demands on time and money, etc.

 

[VertigoGal]

yolland, you're so skilled at analyzing information for the meaningful points and summarizing them into cohesive, well-written paragraphs. everything you post is intelligent and objective. your students are lucky.

 

[yolland]

Well thank you VG, I really appreciate that. Not to overidealize, but this is one of the things I love about FYM--most of the stuff we're discussing here, even when "hot-button", is complex enough to objectively analyze a bit, which (usually) helps put the brakes on the more raw-personality-conflict kind of stuff. Like which haircut best flatters Bono, for example.

 

[yolland]

John Prescott admits bulimia

by Sam Jones
The Guardian (UK), April 21 2008

John Prescott was praised by eating disorder experts yesterday for his "brave" admission that he had struggled with bulimia for two decades. In his forthcoming autobiography, the former deputy prime minister and MP for Hull East reveals that the stress of political life led him to seek comfort in food and then force himself to throw up. Prescott says he began suffering from bulimia in the 1980s, when the pressure of being in the Labour shadow cabinet became overwhelming.

"I'm sure it was to do with stress," he wrote in yesterday's Sunday Times, which is to serialise his memoirs. "I wasn't doing it all the time, and there would be gaps of weeks and months, but during those years when we first got into power, I let things get on top of me and took refuge in stuffing my face." He added: "I've never confessed it before. Out of shame, I suppose, or embarrassment--or just because it's such a strange thing for someone like me to confess to. People normally associate it with young women--anorexic girls, models trying to keep their weight down, or women in stressful situations, like Princess Diana."

Although Prescott tried to hide the illness from his wife, Pauline, she realised what was going on. "The signs in the toilet gave it away, and all the missing food." She urged him to see a doctor and a consultant eventually diagnosed him with bulimia. "I turned up and found his waiting room full of young women. I was the only man there. I felt a right twerp. Luckily none of them shopped me to the press." In the book, he also reveals that despite preferring food to alcohol, he would occasionally drink to relieve the stress and to let people know how low he was feeling.

Prescott, who resigned as deputy prime minister last June and will retire as an MP at the next election, is now supporting an NHS campaign to raise awareness of eating disorders.

The eating disorder support charity Beat said Prescott's decision to speak out had shown considerable courage. "It will help other people to firstly realise that men can be affected by eating disorders, and you can get help and treatment--even if you have been ill for a very long time," said the charity's chief executive, Susan Ringwood. "It is a brave thing to do because people do feel ashamed of themselves and find it really hard even to tell close family members."

Although girls and young women aged between 12 and 20 account for 80% of new cases of eating disorders, boys and men are also affected. "It is probably under-diagnosed--even a doctor doesn't necessarily think it can affect a boy or a man," said Ringwood. "Anybody could have this condition, including people who are in the public eye. People absolutely shouldn't be ashamed. We need to get past that huge stigma that is associated with an eating disorder."

Dr Ty Glover, a consultant psychiatrist and expert on eating disorders, described Prescott's revelation as "a hugely brave and courageous thing". He added: "It's hard enough for a young girl to confess to, but for a high-profile male politician approaching 70, it's especially impressive."

Glover said he had never before come across a man of Prescott's age with bulimia. "It seriously makes me think that maybe we're completely missing a whole audience of middle-aged men who are too scared to admit they have a problem. John's bravery will hopefully encourage more men to stop suffering in silence and come forward to seek treatment."

John Prescott is one of the few high-profile men to admit having problems with bulimia. In 1993, Elton John successfully sued the Sunday Mirror for £350,000 after it appeared to question his recovery from the disease by reporting that he had been seen spitting chewed food into a napkin at a party. He told the high court that he was a drug addict and alcoholic for 16 years and a bulimic for six years until he was cured after six weeks of treatment at a Chicago hospital in 1990.

Psychic celebrity Uri Geller also battled the disease, which he said he eventually overcame through willpower...Sportsmen have also fallen victim to the illness. Former football star Paul Gascoigne would binge on ice cream and then throw up when he was at a low ebb. In his autobiography, which was published last year, the formula one driver David Coulthard wrote about his struggle with the condition. "In my mind the only way I could keep my weight down was by making myself vomit...I stopped eating fattening food and, before I knew what had happened, I was bulimic."

More male celebrities have admitted to having anorexia and other eating disorders. They include the actor Dennis Quaid, the missing Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards, who penned the song 4st 7lbs, and Elvis Presley, whose problems with food are well-documented.

^ Never heard of Presley "admitting to having" an eating disorder, but at any rate, good for Prescott for helping to break a taboo.