The 10 most common eating disorders
We live in a society where the physical primates, where we are valued by our physical appearance.
We are continually exposed to media that use advertising to establish certain canons about what is beautiful and what is not, promoted also by the world of the catwalks, which usually show an unreal image of women, and also of the men.
The physique and appearance: a pathogenic concern
All this has caused the concern for physical appearance is one of the great scourges of modern times . Although this fixation was often attributed to beauty as something more common in women, the truth is that there are also many men who live pending the score of 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 as regards eating disorders. Today we will see what are the main eating disorders and what are their main characteristics and the dangers they bring to our health.
1. Anorexia nervosa
The anorexia nervosa it is characterized by an abrupt and important loss of weight , this being below the healthy minimums. This low weight is the effect of a pathological behavior of the affected person, who performs a meticulous control on food intake, for his fear of gaining weight and a severe distortion of his body image, associated with low self-esteem.
People who suffer anorexia eat very little and use certain rituals and mechanisms to avoid weight gain. Only consume a few foods, which causes a significant deficit of vitamins, minerals and macronutrients, which end up seriously affecting your physical health.
It is a disorder very associated with obsession with the physical and a thin figure. They can 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 the cases of adult women and even men with this affectation have rebounded.
A little more information: "Anorexia could have a genetic origin"2. Bulimia nervosa
The bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by frequent binge eating . During these crises, bulimic people ingest a large amount of food in an uncontrolled way, and then perform purging rituals to avoid gaining weight. These may be causing vomiting, exercising for many hours, not eating or the use of diuretic and laxative products.
This disease is also more common in women than in men, and tends to debut during adolescence. The person suffering from bulimia is fully aware that his eating behavior is pathological.
On the causes of bulimia, it has been thoroughly studied and even then 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.
Know more: "Bulimia nervosa: the disorder of bingeing and vomiting"3. Orthorexia
The orthorexia it is an alteration in the alimentary behavior that increasingly affects more people. orthorexia is characterized by a pathological obsession with healthy food . They are people who choose with great care the foods they are going to eat, they have a meticulous control over the components of everything they eat and the preparation of the food.
This obsession can lead to a really sick control over ingredients, cooking methods ... It is often said that people who develop orthorexia are people who start to obsess over food little by little. In the early stages, they can avoid eating foods such as red meat or sugars, and little by little they expand their 'manias'.
Learn more: "Ortorexia, the obsession with healthy foods"4. Vigorexia
The vigorexia It is a disorder that not only involves a mismatch in eating behavior, but also muscle dysmorphia, also known as Adonis syndrome or reverse anorexia. The vigorexia is the obsession to show marvelous muscles and a strong physique .
In this obsession, the affected feels fear to be too weak or thin, and for that 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 to get more and more muscular.
5. Permarexia
The permarexia it is an eating disorder that has recently emerged, and that is beginning to worry health authorities. Permarexia consists of obsession to follow diets and regimes permanently .
People affected with this eating disorder are continuously following strict diets to lose weight, have bad habits and irrational behaviors in the diet. Permarexia is not considered a disorder in itself, but it is considered a risky behavior that can be the prelude 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 fulfill. 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 exceed the limits of this practice. And yes, drinking lots of water is a pernicious habit for our health. This excessive consumption of liquid is usually called potomania or hydrolexia, and it's a nutritional imbalance that it consists in ingesting a lot of water, despite not being thirsty .
Drinking too much water can put our organic functions at risk, as 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 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 tend to diet and 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, being pregnant, have an intense fear of gaining weight during the nine months of gestation. Something that is biologically impossible and that can put at risk the health of the baby that is coming.
It is well studied that women suffering from pregorexia have a history related to anorexia. But it also happens, on occasion, 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.
Know more: "Pregorexia: pregnant women who do not want to get fat"8. Pica
The pica It is an eating disorder that affects some children. It is characterized by uncontrollable desire of the children of the house to ingest substances or objects that are not nutritious , like earth, ants, bicarbonate, glue, insects, paper, small pieces of plastic or wood ... All are objects and things that, in principle, have no nutritional value and that it is probably not advisable to ingest.
Pica is linked to children with cognitive difficulties and other developmental disorders.
9. Manorexia
The manorexia is an eating disorder that has some similarities with anorexia and vigorexia. Manorexia is also known as male anorexia. People who suffer from this disorder they have an authentic fear of gaining weight, and that leads them to exercise their body excessively and to be always following diets and unhealthy 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 drunkorexia, also called ebriorexia, is an eating disorder that has had a great boom among adolescents and young adults. Is about the practice of stopping eating food to counteract the excess calories produced by large amounts of alcohol that they consume for several days.
Drunkorexia is a terribly bad habit for the psychic and physical health of a person, since it is an intermediate point between anorexia nervosa and alcohol addiction.
