It is transgender people who are most at risk of developing an eating disorder. This is the conclusion of the research conducted by Washington University, St. Louis, which has investigated the link between sexual orientation, gender identity and eating disorders involving college students -heterosexual, “uncertain” and LGBT – in 223 American colleges. The result is clear: the use of diet pills and compensatory behaviour to prevent weight gain (self-induced vomiting and laxatives) is twice as high among young transsexuals as that recorded among heterosexual peers. Published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, the study also found that these disorders were common among young people, but levels were lower compared to transgender people, even among young people insecure about their sexual orientation and gay people whose gender identity coincides with the their biological sex. The figures are probably related to the emotional distress of being discriminated against and researchers warn that development of specific appropriate interventions is urgently required.
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