France Moves to Outlaw 'Inciting' Thinness

3% of teens affected by binge-eating, bulimia, or anorexia

(NEWSER) - An eating disorder study being billed as the largest analysis of US teens ever is returning some depressingly large numbers: More than half a million have had an eating disorder, according to government research. Binge-eating was the most common disorder, found in 1.5% of teens studied, followed by bulimia (1%) and anorexia (0.3%); another 3% had bothersome symptoms, but not a full-fledged disorder. While the percentages may seem low, they're actually slightly higher than what have been observed in other studies, reports the AP . More»

Study: The more time teen girls spend on network, greater their chances

(NEWSER) - The eating-disorder blame game has a new player: Facebook. A study has found that the more time teen girls spend on the social network, the greater their risk of developing anorexia or bulimia. The researchers asked 248 girls, ages 12 to 19, about their Internet and TV habits, and eating thoughts and behavior. The researchers found that the more time girls spent on Facebook, the more likely they were to suffer from a laundry list of eating issues, from disorders to an increased urge to keep to a strict diet, reports the Daily Mail . More»

...and many more unplanned pregnancies

(NEWSER) - Contrary to popular belief, anorexic women continue to menstruate, and retain the ability to conceive and give birth. The widely-held belief that they can't, however, may be behind a striking finding by obstetrics researchers: anorexic women are a lot more likely to have unplanned pregnancies and abortions. In a recent study on 62,060 Norwegian women, only 62 identified themselves as anorexics, but half of those said they'd had an unplanned pregnancy—compared to only 19% of the rest of the subjects, Time reports. More»

Those with the disease are getting younger and younger

(NEWSER) - Anorexia is typically thought of as a disease that strikes teens, but new research shows that the suffering begins at a much younger age for many. A British survey of 250 sufferers found that 53% said their issues began at age 10 or younger; 29% said they were between the ages of 11 and 15. 'We conducted a similar study earlier this year and found the average age of developing the condition was just 12 years old," said the rep for an eating disorders charity. "There was even a case of a 6-year-old showing signs of the illness." More»

Urban Outfitters is joking about anorexia?

(NEWSER) - Urban Outfitters is hawking a new T-shirt featuring a skinny model and the phrase "Eat Less." It's not going over well:

• Amelia McDonell-Parry, the Frisky : Another stunt from these guys? "You know what I want? For Urban Outfitters to STFU."
• Cleveland Leader : "Perhaps some of the American population could stand to take the shirt's advice, but for those impressionable teens who shop at Urban Outfitters, it's message is more pro-anorexia than anything, especially when worn by an emaciated model."