Male Anorexia Nervosa – M.A.N.

Today’s post comes to us from our GLOBALHealthPR Australia partner VIVA! Communications.

With diagnoses on the rise, today we shed light on a condition society most frequently deems to be of concern to women and girls – anorexia nervosa. As you may know, anorexia nervosa is characterized as an eating disorder that affects its victims through obsessive fears of weight gain and obesity.

What you might not know is that despite being deemed a “woman’s disease” since the 1970’s, anorexia nervosa affects 1 in 10 males and recent studies even suggest an equal number of males and females suffer from the condition.

More surprisingly, anorexia in males seems to be increasing at a much faster rate than in females, though the treatment for the illness continues to be largely female- oriented. The Anorexia Nervosa Genetics Initiative (ANGI) has been working diligently to reduce the gender stigmatization associated with the disease, mostly by conducting studies to specifically pinpoint the genetic differences in those with anorexia nervosa, thus finding ways to treat men and women more effectively.

VIVA! is currently teaming with the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane to recruit patients (men and women) for the Anorexia Nervosa Genetics Initiative (ANGI) – the world’s largest and most rigorous genetic investigation into the illness. The study aims to detect genetic variations that may play a role in this potentially life-threatening illness.

Head over to the VIVA! Communications blog post on male anorexia to learn more about this important initiative.