Why do eating disorders affect mostly teenage girls and young women?
A. Teenage girls and young women in our society are constantly exposed to media images and messages that tell them thin is best. This gives young women a distorted view of how they should look and what is healthy. Many young women go on strict diets so that they can look like the girls and women they see on TV, in magazines, and in the movies. Doctors have found that this strict dieting can lead to eating disorders. Q. What can happen to my health if I have an eating disorder? A. You can have serious medical and psychological problems. Anorexia nervosa can lead to: • death from starvation, your heart stopping, or suicide • irregular heart beat and heart failure • drop in your blood pressure and a slowing down of your thyroid function • swollen joints and less muscle mass • feeling light-headed • loss of calcium in your bones that can make them more likely to break • constipation • feeling cold all the time because you don’t have enough body fat to keep warm • your hair and nails becomi
