People with an eating disorder eat in such a manner that compromises their physical health. The manner of eating may vary in ways: it may be excessive or very limited, or eating all the wrong foods.

Among the known eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating rise as the most adamant cases particularly in western countries. Research sums up that over a span of one lifetime there are at least 50, 000 people who will die because of eating disorders. If untreated, a total of 20% of individuals inflicted with eating disorders will die. But if applied with treatment, it is trimmed down to between 2-3%.

In general, studies show how eating disorders affect American people. Confirmed statistics show that there are an estimated total of 7 million females suffering from some type of eating disorder, in comparison to 1 million males.

Eating disorders transcend all ages. Statistics show that 10% of all eating disorder cases are reported to occur in young children who are 10 years old or less, 33% of the reported cases are between 11-15 years of age, 43% between the ages of 16-20 and 86% of the cases are reported in individuals who are 20 years and older.

Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating affect more women than men. Surveys state that women get figure conscious more so then men. Athletes and college students are commonly suffer from eating disorders mainly because of societys pressure on being thin. Athletes who are involved in sports such as gymnastics, figure skating, dancing and synchronized swimming are more likely to develop an eating disorder.