Opinion: How the military may be fueling eating disorders in men
Why this matters: health reporting relevant to everyday decisions and well-being.
As a yoga instructor in a clinic for people with eating disorders, I don’t see many straight cisgender male clients. But when I do, many have one thing in common: military service. It is so common that, anecdotally, I would say a military background is one of the greatest risk factors for eating disorders in this population. Indeed, troops and veterans experience eating disorders and disordered eating at higher rates than civilians. For example, veterans have bulimia at rates about three times higher than civilians. Many of the male service members and veterans I work with feel their bodies will never be lean enough, strong enough, or “combat-ready” enough.Read the rest…