Dieting Can Cause Eating Disorders

Devon women who struggle with their weight are more likely to develop eating disorders.

More and more older women here are now coming forward for help with illnesses like anorexia. Laura Hill is a consultant psychiatrist at the Haldon Unit in Exeter which specialises in the issue - and treats women from across the county. She told Heart that nearly all of the older women they treat have had a past history with dieting: "maybe in starting in their teens or twenties where they were dieting and they certainly had some problems and anxieties about eating and their weight throughout their life."

She says the pressures of modern society and the media are often to blame: "they feel that somehow they are becoming less attractive, losing their beauty as they get older, and that can sometimes motivate them to start restricting what they eat and try and lose weight to gain control again"

To listen to the full interview with Laura Hill CLICK HERE

You can find out more about the Haldon Unit here