Here's a new British Medical Journal study about eating disorders among
teenagers, and the connections with dieting. (This is an example of, in my
opinion, a cumbersome scientific study showing something that is almost
ridicuously obvious and common sense.)
But in any case, it's more "scientific" support for the experiences of what
many veterans of the alternative-diet-world have found: that restrictive
diets often have the exact opposite effect than their purpose. I know that
with myself, for instance, just telling me that I CAN'T do something is an
almost fool-proof way to insure that I WILL do it, no matter what. (My
beloved GenieBoy will certainly attest to this; as will my exasperated
children, parents, friends, and everyone else in my life who has had to
suffer the consequences of this rebellious, stubborn, problem-causing,
pain-in-the-derriere, behavior). =:o
Oh! And by the way, PLEASE NOTE, this abstract is not directed at anyone in
particular (including any rigid dietary extremists).
And it has nothing to do with Chlamydia.
Love Liza
--
[log in to unmask] (Liza May)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Restrictive Diets and Eating Disorders
Researchers studied nearly 2,000 male and female
adolescents over a period of three years to determine the
predictors of new eating disorders. Dieting proved strongly
associated with eating disorders in girls: female
adolescents
who dieted heavily were 18 times more likely to develop an
eating disorder than those who didn't diet. Girls who
dieted
moderately still had a risk that was five times higher,
with
nearly two-thirds of new cases of eating disorder arising
in
girls who diet moderately. The researchers conclude that
dieting is the most important predictor of new eating
disorders.
Reference: Patton, G., Selzer, R. et al. 1999.
Onset of adolescent eating disorders: Population
based cohort study over 3 years. Br. Med. J.
318(7186):765-768.
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