Loneliness twice as unhealthy as obesity for older people, study finds

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health problems, isolation, loneliness, older adults, support

Loneliness twice as unhealthy as obesity for older people, study finds

Loneliness can be twice as unhealthy as obesity, according to researchers who found that feelings of isolation can have a devastating impact on older people.

The scientists tracked more than 2,000 people aged 50 and over and found that the loneliest were nearly twice as likely to die during the six-year study than the least lonely.

Compared with the average person in the study, those who reported being lonely had a 14% greater risk of dying. The figure means that loneliness has around twice the impact on an early death as obesity. Poverty increased the risk of an early death by 19%.

The findings point to a coming crisis as the population ages and people increasingly live alone or far from their families. A study of loneliness in older Britons in 2012 found that more than a fifth felt lonely all the time, and a quarter became more lonely over five years. Half of those who took part in the survey said their loneliness was worse at weekends, and three-quarters suffered more at night.

Previous studies have linked loneliness to a range of health problems, from high blood pressure and a weakened immune system to a greater risk of depression, heart attack and strokes. In his recent book, Loneliness, John Cacioppo, a psychologist at the University of Chicago, says that the pain of loneliness is akin to physical pain.

Cacioppo said the world was experiencing a “silver tsunami” as baby boomers reached retirement age. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well-being and early mortality,” he said.

In light of the damaging health effects of loneliness, Cacioppo said people approaching retirement age might want to think twice about pulling up their roots and heading to fresh pastures to live out their retirement. He described results from the study at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Chicago.

“We have mythic notions of retirement. We think that retirement means leaving friends and family and buying a place down in Florida where it is warm and living happily ever after. But that’s probably not the best idea,” he said.

“We find people who continue to interact with co-workers after retirement and have friends close by are less lonely. Take time to enjoy yourself and share good times with family and friends. Non-lonely people enjoy themselves with other people.”

The researchers found that some people were happy living a life of solitude. Others still felt lonely, and suffered the health impacts of loneliness, even with family and friends close by. The findings suggest that people needed to feel involved and valued by those near to them, and that company alone was not enough.

Caroline Abrahams at Age UK said the study added to a growing body of research showing that being lonely not only made life miserable for older people, but also made them more vulnerable to illness and disease.

“It’s time we took loneliness seriously as a threat to a happy and healthy later life. We need to do more to support older people to stay socially connected. This is a big part of our job at Age UK and everyone can help by being a good friend or neighbour to the older people they know,” she said.

Local branches of Age UK help older people through befriending schemes and other services that include home visits and phone calls for people who are feeling lonely or isolated, she added.

Male Anorexia

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anorexia, anxiety, binge eating, Body Image, bulimia, Depression, fashion industry, health problems, Male Eating Disorders, mental health issues, obsessive compulsive hoarders, perfectionism, skinny male models

Male Anorexia

When in history has a male ever been concerned about fitting into a pair of skinny jeans? Media has hyper-focused on the skinny male model. Today’s fashion is geared towards the emaciated male in a pair of skinny jeans. This male body image does not occur naturally unless someone is ill. We now have a whole culture of men trying to obtain an impossible body image.

There appears to be a rise in the number of males with eating disorders. According to NEDA, at least one million males in the United States have an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. But these numbers are skewed due to the high prevalence of undiagnosed males with eating disorders.

Twenty years ago, very few people even knew what an eating disorder was. Today, the public awareness of eating disorders has allowed some men with anorexia to come forward. But most males will not seek treatment for eating disorders because of the shame, the fact that there are fewer male residential treatment centers and the misperception that eating disorders only occurs in females or gay men.

How can you tell if someone has anorexia nervosa? A male with anorexia nervosa is less than 85 percent of normal body weight. He avoids eating, has poor body image and may exercise obsessively. He is intensely concerned about losing flab or building muscle. He believes he is fat when others are telling him that he is too thin. It is important to note that he really does see himself as fat. It is caused by deficiencies in the brain brought on by starvation. Anorexia nervosa may actually compromise the ability to reason in its victims.

People with anorexia usually also have one or more co-occurring disorders such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder or depression. Males and females both suffer many of the same symptoms of anorexia, such as:

• Dehydration (fainting)
• Performing food rituals
• Bursts of energy followed by fatigue
• Constantly talks about body image, weight and diets
• Avoids eating
• Purges (anorexia nervosa — purge type)
• Isolates
• Thin hair and brittle nails
• Excessive movements even when seated to burn calories

When someone with anorexia under-eats, the brain may dispense feelings of euphoria that briefly counteract anxious or depressed feelings. In this way, food restriction is used as an anti-depressant or a way to “zone out.” A male with anorexia uses the obsessive thoughts of weight, diet, food (not eating) and body image as a way of pushing down feelings or past traumas. This is common for all types of eating disorders.

The highest number of males with eating disorders have binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating or obesity. These boys and men often do not get treatment until they have diabetes, heart attacks or other weight-related diseases.

There are many causes of eating disorders. Genetics can make a person more predisposed to acquiring an eating disorder. This usually occurs in families who have eating disorders or other addictions.

The desire for control makes a male more vulnerable to the disease. This is often the result of feeling smothered or abandoned and misunderstood by their families. Many males report that they had parents who overemphasized physical appearances. In these families, the individual learned to keep his feelings, doubts, fears, anxieties and imperfections hidden. There may be family issues that they try to avoid by focusing on their disorders and their ability to control their food intake.

Having a perfectionistic personality type can be a factor in the development of anorexia. Most males with anorexia are above average students and may have excelled at sports. Some say perfectionism is the leading cause of male anorexia. Perfectionism leads to the desire to be good, accepted, perfect and in control — all of which are prerequisites of anorexia.

Male anorexia is lethal. When the body is not fed it will take fat from the muscles and organs to sustain life. Males generally have less fat than females, so there is the added complication of losing muscle mass. The heart is an important muscle that may be affected. In addition, potassium and electrolyte imbalances may be a risk factor for cardiac problems such as heart attacks.

With the rise in male eating disorders and associated risks, it is imperative that men with eating disorders seek help!

Over-60s put off seeing GP

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age, health problems

Over-60s put off seeing GP

People in their 60s are ignoring signs of ill health because they fear being dismissed as hypochondriacs or believe medical problems are a by-product of ageing.

Department of Health figures show almost a third (31 per cent) of people in their 60s put off visiting their GP because they think problems will simply go away.

An average of nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) ignore health concerns as they believe these are inevitable and not worth reporting, with the figure higher (71 per cent) for men.

Professor Ken Fox, an expert in older people’s health at Bristol University, said: “We’re not saying your body won’t change as you get older, it will, but it is important to get any unusual twinges checked out by a GP.”

However, the study found one in 10 would prefer not to know if they have a serious health problem.

Five-year-olds now worry about body image

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body dysmorphic disorder, Bullying, cosmetic surgery, Eating Disorders, health problems, Self-esteem

Five-year-olds now worry about body image

More than half the British public suffers from a negative body image, an inquiry by MPs has heard.

The problem is so acute that girls as young as five now worry about their size and appearance, with children in danger of picking up their parents’ body-related anxieties, their report said.

Cosmetic surgery rates have increased by nearly 20% since 2008 and the rise was said to be fuelled by advertising and “irresponsible” marketing ploys, the cross-party group of MPs was told.

According to Reflections on Body Image, co-authored by the MPs and health and education charity Central YMCA, negative body image was seen as an underlying cause of health and relationship problems, a key contributor to low self-esteem and a major barrier to participation in school and progression at work.

Appearance is also the greatest cause of bullying in schools, evidence suggested.

The report, published by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Body Image after a three-month public inquiry, identified a growing amount of evidence that body image dissatisfaction was on the increase, with the issue seen to be one affecting all of society regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability, body size or shape.

Children and adolescents were seen to be more vulnerable to body image concerns however.

Around half of girls and up to one third of boys have dieted to lose weight and children and young people with body image dissatisfaction were less likely to engage in learning and participation in school, the report said.

Parents were identified as one of the main influences on children but by secondary school age, the peer group was seen to become a more important influence.

The inquiry heard that health issues attributed to excess body weight may be overstated meanwhile because body mass index, the measure commonly used, was seen to be an inaccurate way of classifying all individuals and their health risks.

And although being overweight or obese was associated with a range of health conditions, the inquiry received evidence challenging the notion that weight always entailed poor health.

The diet industry acknowledged the public had “unrealistic expectations” about weight loss, while critics argued there was no evidence diets work in the long term.

The inquiry, which took evidence from academics, the public, industry, charities and other experts, heard that:

:: Getting rid of dieting could wipe out 70% of eating disorders;

:: More than 95% of dieters regain the weight they lost;

:: 1.6 million people in the UK suffer eating disorders;

:: Up to one in five cosmetic surgery patients could suffer from body dysmorphic disorder;

:: One in three men would sacrifice a year of life to achieve their ideal body;

:: One in five people have been victimised because of their weight;

The report made a series of recommendations targeted at policy-makers, healthcare professionals, industry and the education sector designed to change public perceptions, attitudes and behavioural patterns.

These include compulsory body image and self-esteem lessons for primary and secondary schools, getting advertisers to commit to running campaigns that reflect consumer desire for “authenticity and diversity”, and reframing public health messages in “weight-neutral” language.

It also called for a review of broadcast and editorial codes on reporting body-related issues, a review of the evidence base to support the long term efficacy and safety of diets and a separate code of regulations governing cosmetic surgery advertising.

Patients should be screened before undergoing cosmetic surgery and a review should be carried out into whether the Equality Act ought to be amended to include appearance-related discrimination, the recommendations said.

Central YMCA will launch a campaign on the issues in the autumn after consulting the public beforehand.

APPG chairwoman Jo Swinson MP said: “Body image dissatisfaction in the UK has reached an all-time high and the pressure to conform to an unattainable body ideal is wreaking havoc on the self-esteem of many people.”

Central YMCA chief executive Rosi Prescott branded the report’s findings shocking.

“It’s clear that there’s something seriously wrong in society when children as a young as five are worrying about their appearance, based on the messages they are seeing all around them,” she said.

“Body image has become more important in our culture than health, and children are mimicking their parents’ concerns about appearance.

“We all have a responsibility to act now to bring about the attitudinal and behavioural change that’s necessary to prevent damage to future generations.”

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons agreed a separate code of regulations should be drawn up governing cosmetic surgery advertising and called for an outright ban on adverts of this type in public places like billboards and public transport.

BAAPS also announced it was funding long-term research into psychological assessment of patients.

:: The finding that more than half of people have a negative body image comes from a study by the Centre for Appearance Research at the University of the West of England, to be published in full later this year.