Filed under: Happiness, Health, Fitness, Ask a Fitness Expert
One to two percent of North American girls and women suffer from anorexia nervosa (AN). This psychological disorder mainly affects women and is characterized by caloric restriction and the unrelenting pursuit of thinness. Without treatment, AN contributes towards significant morbidity and may be fatal. Although only a small proportion of women meet clinical criteria for AN, body image dissatisfaction and unhealthy dieting are prevalent within North American culture and are normative features of the social interaction between women. Thus, efforts are also being made to consider AN as a social and political problem.
Historically, the notion of prescribing exercise for patients with AN was considered preposterous, if not dangerous. Conventional wisdom at the time advocated for complete activity restriction and “bed rest.” Conceptualizing exercise as a “pathological symptom” of the disorder, professionals proposed that it was simply another mechanism in which to expend calories. Drawing upon studies conducted with rats, researchers proposed a model of hyperactivity in AN; mediated by neuro-chemicals, overactivity and under-nutrition mutually reinforce one another
in an addictive cycle. Furthermore, aesthetic sporting cultures, such as gymnastics, place a great deal of emphasis on physical appearance. Thus, researchers and clinicians were concerned that features associated with competitive sports may contribute towards and maintain disordered eating.
Continue reading Is Exercise a Good Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa?
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