The stress of the first year of college can trigger eating disorder.

According to a new study from the University of Alabama, instead of gaining weight (as is believe), starting in college can have the opposite effect. Carolielab.com quoted Professor Mary Boggiano saying: “to keep from gaining weight, some students engage in risky behaviors such as excessive dieting or purging food”. This website adds that “moving to a different environment, meeting new people, and the stress of college studies, can make some more susceptible to the development of an eating disorder”.

NBC13.com gives us some of the most common signs of an eating disorder, according to Professor Boggiano:

• A preoccupation with calculating calories, fat grams and carbohydrate grams
• A need to weigh oneself more than once a day
• Allowing the numbers on the scale to determine mood
• Exercising, skipping meals or purging after overeating
• Exercising to burn calories rather than for health or for fun
• An inability to stop eating once eating begins
• Eating in secret
• Feeling guilty, ashamed or disgusted after overeating
• Basing self-worth on looks or weight
• Worrying continuously about weight and body shape
• Abusing diet pills or laxatives

The two most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. If you or a person near you are having one or more of these symptoms please contact a specialist.

By Patricia Rivero.