Eating Disorders

• What is an Eating Disorder?
• Warning Signs
• Types of Eating Disorders
• Risk Factors
• Classifying Eating Disorders
• Disordered Eating
• Dieting
• Eating Disorders and Children
• Eating Disorders and Adolescents
• Eating Disorders and Males
• Eating Disorders and Older People
• If You Think You May Have an Eating Disorder
• Treatment Information
• For Health Professionals
• Eating Disorders and Other Health Problems
  • Eating Disorders, Anxiety and Depression
  • Eating Disorders, Drug and Alcohol Addiction
  • Eating Disorders and Diabetes

Both diabetes and eating disorders involve attention to body states, weight management, and control of food, and there appears to be a co-morbid relationship between the two in a minority of cases. There may be a number of underlying grounds for this relationship:

• Fluctuations in blood sugar levels can lead to extreme mood swings, anxiety and a sense of loss of control – states which are common for somebody experiencing an eating disorder.
• Diabetes also involves a high level of preoccupation with food, weight and diet which are potential risk factors in the development of an eating disorder.
• Potential body image issues that accompany weight gain following insulin therapy.
• Difficulty in controlling diabetes sometimes leading to unhealthy alternatives, such as disordered eating, as a control mechanism.

The complications of eating disorders and diabetes co-existing are extremely serious and potentially fatal.  For more information on eating disorders and diabetes please click here to download a fact sheet.

Last Updated: July 2009