Eating disorders can be a potential life threatening mental illness. While the condition is often portrayed as illnesses to only affect women, studies suggest that a majority of people suffering from bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa are men, and binge eating disorders affect almost an equal number of females and males. The cultural stigma and under-reporting also mean that the actual number of males suffering from eating disorders could be higher.
And apart from the hallmark symptoms of eating disorders such as compulsive habits with food or preoccupation with body image, men may display hallmark signs such as expressing dislikes for specific features of a body, going to the washroom after meals immediately and refusing to participate in family meals where they can’t control food choices.
Steroid use and eating disorders
Like women, men face a lot of societal pressure to maintain and achieve a certain body shape. For them, a lean shape reflects an ideal of competence, appeal and strength. Men who are underweight or overweight may feel left out because they don’t live up to this expectation.
To get in a lean shape, a disadvantage of men’s obsession is the epidemic use of anabolic steroids. Some males take steroids to boost strength and put on muscle mass. However, the substance can result in side effects such as depression and eating disorders. A study says that 3 percent of all college seniors and 85 percent of all professional football players in the US have used steroids.
Men who take steroids are more likely to have compulsive behavior and unhealthy diets. For those who have taken steroids for more than a couple of months, their body’s ability to respond to physical stress may have decreased, because their adrenal glands may not react as they should in a normal way. This affect can even last a year after discontinuation of steroid use. And the best and most convenient way to beat stress for an average male? You guessed it… binging day and night.
Steroid use also affects the metabolism and the way your body deposits fat stores. In most instances, most types of steroids are digested quickly and leave you hungry soon after. While men are recommended to follow a balanced diet of eating multiple small meals a day due to this increased hunger pan, they often give in to the urge to eat anything they want, at any time.
Apart from getting in physical shape, men also take steroids as a prescription medicine when recovering from chronic conditions such as broken ligaments. These individuals also suffer from the same urge to binge food at any hour of the day because of increased appetite and metabolism.
Treating men eating disorders arising from steroid use
There are several ways to combat eating disorders, such as engaging in meditation, self-control and getting help. Eating disorder treatment centers for men that help patients follow a balanced diet can be critical to a healthy recovery. Some help centers also provide nutrition counselors to clients who are served on an individual basis for the first couple of weeks and screened for eating issues.
Meditation and self-control can also prevent eating disorders. Because doctors describe eating disorders as the inability to focus the mind on correct thinking, meditation can tremendously help with the condition.
Eating disorders can be a potential life threatening mental illness. While the condition is often portrayed as illnesses to only affect women, studies suggest that a majority of people suffering from bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa are men, and binge eating disorders affect almost an equal number of females and males. The cultural stigma and under-reporting also mean that the actual number of males suffering from eating disorders could be higher.
And apart from the hallmark symptoms of eating disorders such as compulsive habits with food or preoccupation with body image, men may display hallmark signs such as expressing dislikes for specific features of a body, going to the washroom after meals immediately and refusing to participate in family meals where they can’t control food choices.
Steroid use and eating disorders
Like women, men face a lot of societal pressure to maintain and achieve a certain body shape. For them, a lean shape reflects an ideal of competence, appeal and strength. Men who are underweight or overweight may feel left out because they don’t live up to this expectation.
To get in a lean shape, a disadvantage of men’s obsession is the epidemic use of anabolic steroids. Some males take steroids to boost strength and put on muscle mass. However, the substance can result in side effects such as depression and eating disorders. A study says that 3 percent of all college seniors and 85 percent of all professional football players in the US have used steroids.
Men who take steroids are more likely to have compulsive behavior and unhealthy diets. For those who have taken steroids for more than a couple of months, their body’s ability to respond to physical stress may have decreased, because their adrenal glands may not react as they should in a normal way. This affect can even last a year after discontinuation of steroid use. And the best and most convenient way to beat stress for an average male? You guessed it… binging day and night.
Steroid use also affects the metabolism and the way your body deposits fat stores. In most instances, most types of steroids are digested quickly and leave you hungry soon after. While men are recommended to follow a balanced diet of eating multiple small meals a day due to this increased hunger pan, they often give in to the urge to eat anything they want, at any time.
Apart from getting in physical shape, men also take steroids as a prescription medicine when recovering from chronic conditions such as broken ligaments. These individuals also suffer from the same urge to binge food at any hour of the day because of increased appetite and metabolism.
Treating men eating disorders arising from steroid use
There are several ways to combat eating disorders, such as engaging in meditation, self-control and getting help. Eating disorder treatment centers for men that help patients follow a balanced diet can be critical to a healthy recovery. Some help centers also provide nutrition counselors to clients who are served on an individual basis for the first couple of weeks and screened for eating issues.
Meditation and self-control can also prevent eating disorders. Because doctors describe eating disorders as the inability to focus the mind on correct thinking, meditation can tremendously help with the condition.
