When you hear the term “eating disorders” what do you think of? Probably not boys and men. Yet, adolescent boys struggle with body image and disordered eating behaviors nearly just as much as girls.

On today’s show, eating disorder specialist Jason Nagata, MD joins Gene and Khadijah to unpack what every parent should know about disordered eating in boys. They discuss the pressures boys face when it comes to body ideals, the impact of sports culture, and how to recognize signs of an eating disorder in your child.

Media List

• Jason Nagata, MD (University of California, San Francisco)
• Why eating disorders are affecting more adolescent boys (PBS News Hour)
• Parents’ perception of their child’s body image (Mott Poll Report)
• Boys, Bulk, and Body Ideals: Sex Differences in Weight Gain Attempts Among Adolescents in the United States (Journal of Adolescent Health)
• The real cost of a “Marvel body”: How the pressure to look like Thor and Captain America is hurting men (Salon)
• Muscle Dysmorphia (National Eating Disorders Association)
• Research suggests student athletes face body image concerns, develop rigid eating habits (Clemsen News)
• Disordered eating and considerations for the transgender community (Journal of Eating Disorders)
• What Are the Treatments for Eating Disorders? (MGH Clay Center)
• Being You: The Body Image Book for Boys (Charlotte Markey, Daniel Hart, Douglas N. Zacher)
• Resource Center (National Eating Disorders Association)
• 19 of Your Favorite Superheroes: Then and Now (RVCJ)

Special thanks to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) for connecting us with special guest Jason Nagata, MD.

Podcast theme music by Gene Beresin, MD, MA

Episode research by Spenser Egnatz

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

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