Overlap Observed in Obesity, Eating Disorders: Specialists Urged to Join Forces

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DENVER -- It's high time for specialists in the traditionally separate fields of obesity and eating disorders to join forces in an integrated approach to prevention and treatment, said Diane Neumark-Sztainer, Ph.D., at an international conference of the Academy for Eating Disorders.

The rationale for this proposal lies in growing evidence that obesity and disordered eating often occur together. Interventions focusing on just one may have the unwanted iatrogenic effect of promoting the other, she commented.

For example, public health messages encouraging people to consume fewer calories and restrict portion sizes may cause individuals with a high degree of body image …