EP 1116B – Eating Disorders in Older Women

About 30 million Americans have an eating disorder. But when you think about anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating, you probably picture adolescent girls or young adults. That’s because eating disorders tend to appear early in life and are more frequent in females than males. But it’s estimated that about 13 percent of women over age 50 are living with an eating disorder.

Eating disorder treatment centers like the Renfrew Center report a 42% increase over the last decade in women over age 35 seeking help. And because older women may not recognize the symptoms or are reluctant to admit it, the problem may be bigger than we realize.

So today we are joined by Nicole Christina to talk about why we're seeing this trend increase in older women. Nicole Christina has been a psychotherapist for 30 years. She specializes in eating disorders and more recently has taken an interest in the challenges and joys of aging. Her award-winning podcast, Zestful Aging, is heard in 102 countries and focuses on maintaining vitality and purpose through our older years.