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Men, Muscles, and Eating Disorders: an Overview of Traditional and Muscularity-Oriented Disordered Eating

  • Eating Disorders (S Wonderlich and JM Lavender, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

There is growing recognition that eating disorder (ED) symptoms, particularly those of a muscularity-oriented nature, are more common in men than previously understood. The purpose of the current review is to describe contemporary directions and implications of research on traditional and muscularity-oriented ED symptoms among males.

Recent Findings

Evidence indicates that ED symptoms occur in a substantial minority of men. Importantly, recent research has focused on muscularity-oriented body image and disordered eating in males, demonstrating the prevalence, correlates, and consequences of maladaptive muscularity-oriented attitudes and behaviors. A growing number of assessments are available to measure these constructs in males, and preliminary treatment considerations have begun to be addressed in the literature.

Summary

Research on male EDs and body image is increasingly focusing on muscularity-oriented manifestations. Continued empirical work will be critical to improve our understanding of the onset, maintenance, and treatment of muscularity-oriented disordered eating in males.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eating Disorders Center for Treatment & Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, 4510 Executive Drive, Suite 315, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA

    Jason M. Lavender & Tiffany A. Brown

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California Street, San Francisco, CA, 94118, USA

    Stuart B. Murray

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  1. Jason M. Lavender
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Correspondence to Jason M. Lavender.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Eating Disorders

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Lavender, J.M., Brown, T.A. & Murray, S.B. Men, Muscles, and Eating Disorders: an Overview of Traditional and Muscularity-Oriented Disordered Eating. Curr Psychiatry Rep 19, 32 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-017-0787-5

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