Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric condition - 10% of those diagnosed die due to related factors. This eating disorder primarily affects women, especially adolescent girls, struggling with the pressure of today's society to be thin. The obsessive fear of gaining weight, combined with body image distortion is a deadly lethal mix. It drives individuals to try to control their body weight by voluntary starvation, binge-eating, purging, vomiting and excessive exercise.
When I hear the word anorexia, I usually think of Nicole Ritchie, Lindsey Lohan and the Olsen Twins. Every gossip rag at the supermarket's check out counter has always some big bold letters announcing which female celebrity is seeking treatment for it. So I was quite surprised when I picked up our local newspaper last week and read about Dennis Quaid and his battle with "manorexia" - the male version of anorexia. Well, well, well.... What do we have here? It seems that the big Hollywood trend of "skin and bones" is not just limited to its female population.
So is the problem of starving to get the perfect body crossing genders? A new study conducted by the American Journal of Psychiatry has discovered that at least 1 million American men are suffering from the condition today. If you ask me, the pressure to have a slim physique like Justin Timberlake or the muscles of Brandon Routh is no different than me wanting to be as sexy as Heidi Klum. Increased doses of dietary supplements and over exercising are just some of the signs of "manorexia". Dennis Quaid went from 180 to 138 pounds. "For many years, I was obsessed about what I was eating, how many calories it had, and how much exercise I'd have to do," Quaid told "Best Life" Magazine. Starving to gain the ideal body has definitely crossed gender lines and the quest for perfection can come with an ugly price tag.
Anorexia is a life threatening condition that can put a serious strain on many of the body's organs. It affects the function of the heart and cardiovascular system which has been linked to heart failure, muscle weakness, immune dysfunction, and ultimately death. Early diagnosis with intervention results in an improved outcome.
Let's take a simple test, shall we?
Take your weight in pounds and multiply that by 705.
Divide the result by your height in inches.
Divide the result again by your height in inches
Here's an example:
I weigh 125 pounds and I am 5'2" (62 inches)
125 multiplied by 705 = 88,125
88,125 divided by 62 inches = 1,421
1,421 divided by 62 inches = 23
What we have just calculated is the Body Mass Index (BMI).
Healthy weight 18.5 to 24.9 BMI
Overweight 25.0 to 29.9 BMI
Obese I 30.0 to 34.9 BMI
Obese II 40 BMI
At a BMI of 23, I am considered in healthy weight. I can drop down to an 18.5 BMI, which is roughly 102 lbs, and I can still maintain a healthy weight for my height based on the current BMI Standards. Since the refusal to maintain healthy body weight of at least 85 percent of the expected weight is a tell-tale sign of anorexia, I better hope that a friend out there starts an intervention right away if I start weighing in at less than 100lbs.
copyright 2007 The Bikini Body Diet
RELATED ARTICLES:So How Did Mariah Carey Lose All That Weight? Eating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia - Signs and Symptoms Anorexia Eating Disorders Solved by Prayer, According to ChristiaNet PollHerbal Diet Pill - Hoodia 
