According to the December 1999 issue of the journal Eating and Weight Disorders, their fears probably are unfounded. When the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center treated 94 women for eating disorders, they found that successful treatment generally didn't lead to excessive weight gain. Most of the women were able to deal with their eating problem and their weight concerns at the same time. But there's a caveat. Although many scientists agree that our nation's love affair with thinness has some relevance toward the development of eating disorders, discoveries in recent years now suggest that biological factors also are at work.
Research implicates genes and brain chemicals.
New insights into the roots of eating disorders are helping researchers piece together how the disorders evolve and may lead to improved treatments. You're saving room for a dessert of almond drenched macaroons. Millions of Americans have a much more complex and negative relationship with food. They suffer from potentially life-threatening eating disorders. One prevalent type, anorexia, often involves severe dieting that can dip into starvation.