Eating Disorders and Obesity

Abstract

I was happy to see your Special Issue on Obesity ([7 Feb.][1]), yet I felt there was too little attention paid to the emotional and psychological factors behind obesity and the poor relationship Americans seem to have with food. In her Editorial “The ironic politics of obesity” (p. [781][2]), Marion Nestle writes, “Overweight comes from consuming more food energy than is expended in activity.” Yes, but where does this desire, or need, to consume more food come from in the first place? I do not doubt the role played by genetics, evolution, and physiology in obesity. Yet there are many high school students (particularly female ones) who can point to food as their primary mechanism for coping with academic and social pressures, and many eating disorder survivors who can tell you that their misuse of food was deeply rooted in perfectionism, insecurity, and low self-esteem. Anorexia, bulimia, and obesity are extremes along the continuum of Americans' poor relationship with food. While some Americans are getting fatter, others are starving to death by their own volition. An anorexic or severely obese 12-year-old girl is not a victim of evolution, but an artifact of our society. The prevalence of eating disorders in young people should alarm those interested in obesity and inspire them to look deeper at the underlying psychological and emotional issues that food can seem to soothe. Instead of a tax on “junk” food, as Nestle advocates, I think we need greater attention paid to the issues stressing out our nation's youth and more energy devoted to helping them cope in ways other than purging, bingeing, or some combination of both. Every year, the cigarette tax rises, yet more and more teenage girls turn to cigarettes to “relieve stress.” A tax or other restrictions to the food supply are not going to solve the obesity and eating-disorder problems. We need a solid understanding of where the demand comes from and efforts to help young people see that there are alternatives to over- or underuse of food in times of stress. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.299.5608.845 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.299.5608.781