Causes of Eating Disorders in Guys

Occupational Hazards:
Often people can experience eating disorders because of the demands of their jobs.
* Gymnasts, runners, body builders, rowers, wrestlers, jockeys, dancers, and swimmers are particularly vulnerable to eating disorders because their sports necessitate weight restriction. It is important to note, however, that weight loss in an attempt to improve athletic success differs from an eating disorder when the central psychopathology is absent.

Media:
* Males may be receiving increasing media messages regarding dieting, and ideal of muscularity, and plastic surgery options (such a pectoral and calf implants).

* Magazines targeted primarily to women included a greater number of articles and advertisements aimed at weight reduction (e.g., diet, calories) and those targeted at men contained more shape articles and advertisements (e.g., fitness, weight lifting, body building, or muscle toning). The magazines most read by females ages 18-24 had 10 times more diet content than those most popular among men in the same age group.

Sexual Attitudes, Behaviors and Endocrine Dysfunction:
* Males with anorexia display a considerable degree of anxiety with regard to sexual activities and relationships. Comparing males and females with anorexia and it has been found that males displayed significantly more sexual anxieties than did females. 80% of the males in the study grew up in families that regarded sex as a taboo subject. Corresponding with the reported sexual anxiety, low levels of sexual activity among the males with anorexia have also been noted.

* It has been found that males with anorexia in their study admitted "obvious relief" at the diminution of their sexual drive during the acute phase of their disease.

* Eating-disordered males differed significantly from eating-disordered females in terms of sexual experience in a study. Males with eating disorders were significantly less likely to have had sexual relations before the onset of their eating disorder, or to be involved in a sexual relationship at the time of evaluation than were females with eating disorders. Males with bulimia, however, appear to be more sexually active than males with anorexia, both premorbidly and at the time of their illness.

* A disproportionate number of males with anorexia may have a persisting or preexisting problems in testosterone production.

Gender Dysphoria and Homosexuality:
* Males with anorexia saw themselves and were seen by others as more feminine than other men, both in attitudes and behavior. In general the males with anorexia appeared to identify more closely with their mothers than with their fathers.

* Homosexuals are over-represented in many samples of eating disordered men. While the proportion of male homosexuals in the general population cross-culturally is estimated to be 3%-5%, samples of eating-disordered men are commonly twice as high or greater.

* Several researchers have noted that homosexual conflict preceded the onset of an eating disorder in up to 50% of male patients.

* Conflict over gender identity or over sexual orientation may precipitate the development of an eating disorder in many males. It may be that by reducing their sexual drive through starvation, patients can temporarily resolve their sexual conflicts.

* Homosexual men may be at an increased risk for developing an eating disorder because of cultural pressures within the homosexual community to be thin

* It was found that homosexual men weighed significantly less than heterosexual men, were more likely to be underweight and to desire an underweight ideal weight. Compared to the heterosexuals, homosexual men were less satisfied with their body build.

Body Image:
* Body image concerns may be important predictors of eating disorders in males. It is found that a desire to be thinner was a more important predictor of weight loss behaviors than psychological or family variables, for both male and female adolescents.

* The preferred body shape for contemporary men without eating disorders was the V-shaped body, whereas the eating-disordered group strove for the "lean, toned, thin" shape.

Family Influences and Personality Variables:
* It has been found that men with eating disorders tend to have dependent, avoidant, and passive-aggressive personality styles, and to have experienced negative reactions to their bodies from their peers while growing up. They tend to be closer to their mothers than their fathers. It is concluded that "in our culture, muscular build, overt physical aggression, competence at athletics, competitiveness, and independence generally are regarded as desirable for males, whereas dependency, passivity, inhibition of physical aggression, smallness, and neatness are seen as more appropriate for females. Boys who later develop eating disorders do not conform to the cultural expectations for masculinity; they tend to be more dependent, passive, and non-athletic, traits which may lead to feelings of isolation and disparagement of body."