Teens hide eating ills by going vegetarian

[Guest guest]

Teens hide eating ills by going vegetarian

http://www.freep.com/news/health/diet5_20020305.htm

 

" Teen vegetarians may be at higher risk of eating disorders and suicide

than their peers who eat meat, researchers at the University of Minnesota

have found. "

....

" The study does not suggest that vegetarianism causes eating disorders,

but it may be something for parents to monitor, researchers and dietitians

say. "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teens hide eating ills by going vegetarian

March 5, 2002

BY RHODA FUKUSHIMA

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS

 

 

 

Teen vegetarians may be at higher risk of eating disorders and suicide than

their peers who eat meat, researchers at the University of Minnesota have found.

Teen vegetarians were likelier to weigh themselves often, be unhappy with their

bodies, practice weight control behaviors and been told by a doctor that they

have an eating disorder. They were more likely to have thought about or tried to

kill themselves.

Researchers also found that male vegetarians were at higher risk for some

unhealthy weight control practices, such as self-induced vomiting. Previous

studies typically focused on girls, but this study suggests that boys are

becoming more body- and weight-conscious.

The study does not suggest that vegetarianism causes eating disorders, but it

may be something for parents to monitor, researchers and dietitians say.

" It's a signal for parents to check on them -- that they're not using laxatives,

vomiting, " says Cheryl Perry, co-investigator and a professor in the

epidemiology division at the School of Public Health. " It might be a red flag

about weight-control behaviors. "

Researchers surveyed 4,700 teens from 31 middle and high schools in the

Minneapolis-St. Paul area. They reported their findings in the December 2001

issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health. Nearly 6 percent of the teens were

vegetarians. Their main reason for adopting this practice was to lose weight or

not gain weight.

Vegetarians were more likely to care about eating healthy food, but less likely

to care about being healthy -- a finding that surprised researchers, Perry says.

" I think that their emphasis was really on weight, eating and not on general

health, " she says.

Reed Mangels, a registered dietitian and consultant to the Vegetarian Resource

Group in Baltimore, says this study affirms what other studies have found: For

kids with eating disorders, vegetarianism is another way to restrict food

intake.

That has been the experience of Dirk Miller, director of the Emily Program, an

outpatient eating disorders program in St. Paul. People with eating disorders

find other ways to manage their hunger besides eating. For example, they tell

themselves they are allergic to or don't like certain foods -- like meat.

" The reality is just that they don't care about cows and chickens, " Miller says.

" They're thinking about weight. There are some people who are genuinely

vegetarian. Usually they'd have a pretty clear idea about it. They will have an

idea that sounds more true rather than just, 'meat is gross.' "

 

 

VEGETARIAN TYPES

 

Semi-vegetarian: Eats dairy, egg products, poultry and fish, but avoids red

meat.

 

 

Lacto-ovo: Eats eggs and dairy products, but avoids poultry, fish and red meat.

 

 

Lacto: Eats dairy, but avoids all other animal products and eggs.

 

 

Vegan: Avoids all animal products.

Knight Ridder Newspapers

 

 

 

 

 

Try FREE Mail - the world's greatest free email!