Cambridgeshire: Eating Disorders

15 February 2013, 06:00 | Updated: 15 February 2013, 07:21

During Eating Disorders Awareness Week, Heart investigates the increasing number of women in their 30s with eating disorders.

A Freedom Of Information (FOI) request sent to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust revealed that in 2011, 76 women in their 30s were treated in the community for an eating disorder.

In 2012 that number increased by 49% to 113 women. 

The FOI also revealed that, since 2007, one women in her 30s in the region died as a direct or indirect result of an eating disorder.

In a statement, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust said: "Case load and referral numbers must be interpreted in the context of a variety of local and national factors, and do not necessarily indicate a significant change in the prevalence of a disorder."

Mum-of-two 'Sarah' (name changed to protect anonymity) from Haverhill suffers in secret from binge eating. She opened up to Heart in the exclusive video interview below.

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19 year old Kirstie Pope from Huntingdon is recovering from Anorexia. She also agreed to share her story with Heart in the video below.

If you are affected by an eating disorder you can get help from the following websites:

NHS Choices

Mind

beat