Assistant Professor Jason Nagata Eating  disorders can affect people of all genders,   races, ethnicities, sexual orientations,  ages and sizes. You cannot tell that   someone has an eating disorder based on  appearance alone. Eating disorders in   boys and men are under-recognised, and  it’s important that parents, Coaches,   Teachers, and providers recognise warning  signs of eating disorders in boys and men. The idealised masculine body is big and muscular.  The biggest influences into body image are media,   peers and families. Over the last several decades,  the pressures for muscularity have increased,   and that’s reflected in Hollywood action  figures, movies and social media. Social   media uniquely merges the media with  peer influences, broadening it to a   global group. Algorithms can lead a teen boy  to focus on accounts with similar interests,   such as excessive exercise and muscularity,  driving them to strive for bigger muscles,   and providing more pressures to become big. At  the extreme, these behaviours can lead to muscle   dysmorphia, which occurs when an individual  becomes preoccupied with becoming muscular. Because eating disorders are under-recognised in  boys and men, we don’t have a true and accurate   estimate of the true prevalence. However,  it’s thought that one sixth to one third of   people with eating disorders are boys and men. In  terms of muscle building concerns and behaviours,   nearly a third of teenage boys report that  they’re trying to bulk up to gain weight. 22%   of young men report taking supplements, steroids,  or eating more to bulk up. One study of Australian   teenage boys found that 2.2% of the general  population had symptoms of muscle dysmorphia. Warning signs for eating disorders in  boys and men include when exercise, food,   appearance or weight can lead to preoccupations  or obsessions with someone’s body size in a way   that worsens a young person’s quality of  life. It’s not just the activity itself,   but it’s the way the activity makes someone  feel. So, if someone is saying that exercise   is causing them more worry or preoccupation than  joy, and when it starts to impair their work or   daily functioning, those are red flags,  regardless of the actual activity itself. People with eating disorders should  seek professional help. They can   discuss these issues with a healthcare  provider, School Counsellor, parent,   or Teacher. Eating disorders are best  supported by an interdisciplinary team,   including a mental health, medical and nutrition  provider. Eating disorders can lead to severe   medical complications, affecting the heart,  brain, liver and kidneys, due to malnutrition.