Size Zero Men: Men With Anorexia Gaining on Women?

A psychiatrist in the UK reached a milestone in September. After returning from a holiday, he suddenly had more male referrals for anorexia than female.

I don't think that's a common phenomenon, but it's a good reminder that whether it's increasing emphasis on male body image, a larger number of males with anorexia who seek treatment, or something else, this group is continuing to demand attention.

I'm particularly interested in this given the data we have on the genetic component of eating disorder development. Perhaps there's been a genetic bent toward anorexia in the male population that only now has the cultural input to trigger it into being. And are men with anorexia really becoming more numerous, or just more honest? If the latter, could there be an increasing cultural understanding of eating disorders that is lowering the stigma around them?

Perhaps both the numbers on Wall Street and the numbers of those with anorexia -- both women and men -- have to look worse before they can look better.

• How eating disorders can look attractive for men
• Advertising with men focuses more on shape
• Genetics powerfully influence eating disorders