Boys Get Eating Disorders Too

If food rules are taking over your day, does it matter that you are a boy or a man?

It matters for how people may respond. It does not make the problem less deserving of care. Eating disorders affect males as well as females. Yet boys and men can miss their own symptoms if they have heard that the illness only happens to girls. Clinicians and families can miss it for the same reason.12

You may not use the words “eating disorder.” You might say that you cannot miss a workout, that meals have become stressful, or that eating feels out of control when you are alone. Those words are enough to begin a health conversation. You do not have to adopt a label before someone can listen.

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There is no single male version

Boys and men can restrict food, binge eat, or act on a need to undo or make up for eating. Some fear gaining weight. Some want a leaner body. Others feel driven to become larger or more muscular. These patterns can overlap or change over time. A man does not need to want more muscle to have an eating disorder. In the study described below, both male and female participants reported these behaviors, and a 2026 review finds muscularity concerns across gender groups as well.2310

A large U.S. study followed young people into adulthood. It looked at behaviors aimed at becoming bigger or more muscular. It found these behaviors in both male and female people in the study. But it counted a broad range of practices. On their own, those practices do not mean someone has an eating disorder. The study helps widen the questions clinicians ask. It should not be used to label every person who lifts weights or uses a supplement.3

Useful questions ask about distress, health, daily life, and how rigid the pattern has become. Can plans change without intense guilt or panic? Is eating shaped by fear or a need to make up for it later? Are food or exercise rules pushing aside relationships? These are topics for an assessment, not a test with a score at the end.

Looking strong, being in a larger body, or doing well in sport does not rule out problems with nutrition. Growing boys need food to support puberty, bone growth, learning, and daily life. A medical review looks beyond the image others see.2

When the stereotype becomes a barrier

Some research asks people to describe what they have been through in depth. A review of these accounts from males found that shame could make it harder to seek help. So could expectations about how men should act. Some men felt that their difficulties did not fit the illness they had heard about. These findings explain what may stand in the way of care. They do not provide one average delay that applies to all boys, men, and diagnoses.1

There may also be practical reasons for silence. You may not know where to go. You may worry about how a parent, coach, partner, or employer will respond. The first clinician you see may have little experience with symptoms like yours. Ask whether that clinician treats eating disorders in boys or men. If they do not, ask who can help.

Assessment tools have limits too. Many were built around the fear of becoming larger, so they can miss distress about being too small or not muscular enough. A screening form can help start a conversation. But a reassuring result should not shut down your account of harm. A review of your current pattern matters more than whether it fits a stereotype.210

If a visit stays focused on your appearance, you can bring it back to function: “I am losing time to food rules,” or “I feel unable to rest even when I am hurt.” That gives the clinician something specific to assess.

Sex and gender are not interchangeable evidence

Many studies report male and female groups without describing gender identity in detail. We cannot assume their findings apply in the same way to transgender boys, trans men, or nonbinary people. The college survey described below grouped all transgender students together, so it cannot tell us about any one of those groups on its own. An assessment should ask how you describe yourself and what language feels respectful.

A large U.S. college survey compared groups of students. Transgender students and some sexual-minority groups reported more eating-related problems than the groups they were compared with. The study relied on self-reported diagnoses and behaviors. It did not show that identity itself caused an eating disorder. Its college sample cannot stand in for all children or adults.4

Care should make room for concerns about body shape, gender, safety, and stigma. It should not assume they are the same concern. You can ask how a service supports your identity and protects privacy. Ask how the team will work together on your care. Respectful treatment includes taking the eating problem seriously while listening to what your body means to you.

Sport, fitness, and work can shape the conversation

Fitness media and sport settings can put a strong focus on looks, food, and discipline. That context may make rigid behavior easier to praise or overlook. It does not mean that a social feed, a team, or one coach caused the illness. Studies that observe or interview people can find patterns and possible pressures. They do not prove a single cause.110

Military settings deserve attention too. A study of U.S. military health records found several types of eating disorders among service members. Because it counted recorded diagnoses, it could not measure all hidden symptoms. The finding supports taking concerns seriously in a setting known for strength and performance. It does not show that every service member has the same risk.5

A clinician can ask whether sport or work makes it feel risky to share the concern. They can ask who can offer support and what needs to stay private. For a family member, the aim is to understand the pressure the person feels. Turning food or exercise into a loyalty test is unlikely to make a difficult conversation easier.

The essay The Athlete Who Is Running on Empty addresses sports-specific medical assessment. How much someone trains does not, on its own, show whether they feel driven to exercise despite harm.

Muscle dysmorphia is a related, separate concern

Muscle dysmorphia involves a distressing focus on the belief that one is not muscular enough or is too small. It is classified within body dysmorphic disorder, rather than as an eating disorder. Eating rules, exercise, and appearance concerns may overlap, so a person can need assessment for both.6

Body dysmorphic disorder is grouped with obsessive-compulsive and related conditions, not with eating disorders. The label is not shorthand for enjoying the gym. The concern is how much these thoughts take over and harm daily life. The Muscle Dysmorphia essay explores that distinction. Here, the central question remains whether eating patterns are harming health or taking over life.

Bring a complete medicine and supplement list to the assessment. That list includes anything taken for muscle size or performance. Telling your clinician is not a confession; it changes what they check for. You do not need to explain or defend every choice before asking for help. The clinician needs a full account to check how drugs may interact, assess physical symptoms, and plan treatment. Avoid making your own medicine changes in response to this article.

What support can look like

Treatment should fit the diagnosis, age, health needs, and support you can access. It can include medical care, eating disorder therapy, and nutrition support. It may also include medicine for a use backed by evidence. Few treatment trials focus on males. This makes it especially useful to review how care fits your needs and whether it helps. It does not mean a boy or man should be denied established care.27

For minors, caregivers often have a role in treatment. The young person also needs a chance to speak. They need to know how the team will share information. For adults, ask who can join visits with your consent and how a partner or friend could help between appointments. Your team should explain what it expects that support to achieve.

You can ask whether group materials include men and whether staff understand concerns about muscle size. Ask how care makes room for cultural foods, disability, and different kinds of families. These questions concern access to treatment. They are not demands that you find a perfect program before accepting any help.

If scheduled visits cannot meet your health or daily support needs, ask about a different level of care. The essay When Weekly Visits Are Not Enough explains those settings and the questions to bring.

How someone close to you can open the door

A father, partner, or coach can focus on what they have noticed without commenting on body shape:

“You seem distressed when food or exercise plans change, and it is affecting time with people you care about. How has this been for you? I would like to help you get a health assessment.”

Leave room for an answer. Do not turn the conversation into an argument over whether the person looks ill. If they are not ready to talk, the concern can still be shared with a suitable health professional, especially when a child is involved. The next step should support care rather than secret monitoring or body policing.

Collapse, chest pain, a seizure, a heartbeat that feels fast, pounding, or irregular, severe confusion, vomiting blood, or severe dehydration need emergency medical assessment. Fainting, being unable to keep fluids down, or new muscle weakness that makes it hard to climb stairs also needs urgent medical care.8 Call 911 for immediate danger. For a U.S. suicidal or mental-health crisis, call or text 988. It does not replace emergency medical care.9

This week, write down one way eating or exercise is affecting your health, one way it is affecting daily life, and one question you want answered. Bring that note to a primary-care or eating disorder appointment. Asking for an assessment is a concrete step you can take even while you are unsure what to call the problem.

This article is for education and does not replace care from your own health professional. Eating disorders can affect people at any body size. If you are concerned about eating, exercise, or related symptoms, ask for an assessment. Do not start, stop, or change medication based on this article.

This article is for education only. It does not diagnose an eating disorder or muscle dysmorphia, decide whether anyone is medically stable, set a target weight or body composition, give a training or supplement plan, or replace individualized care. Reading it does not create a clinician-patient relationship.

Eating disorder support and referrals

These are specialized eating disorder helplines, not 24/7 crisis lines. For urgent help any time, use the crisis resources below.

• National Alliance for Eating Disorders Helpline, 1-866-662-1235, Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific (9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern). Staffed by licensed therapists who specialize in eating disorders; free referrals to all levels of care. allianceforeatingdisorders.com
• ANAD Helpline, 1-888-375-7767, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific (9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Central). Peer support and treatment referrals.
• F.E.A.S.T., feast-ed.org. Free caregiver resources, online support groups, and family guides for those supporting a loved one with an eating disorder.

If you or your loved one has chest pain, fainting, seizures, severe weakness, confusion, signs of refeeding syndrome, or any other life-threatening symptom, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Eating disorders are medical illnesses, and medical emergencies are common.

Related reading on NP FADY

• The Athlete Who Is Running on Empty
• Muscle Dysmorphia
• When Weekly Visits Are Not Enough

References

1. Coopey E, Johnson G. “The male elephant in the room”: a qualitative evidence synthesis exploring male experiences of eating disorders. J Eat Disord. 2022;10:131. DOI: 10.1186/s40337-022-00614-w. PMID: 36056450. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40337-022-00614-w. Accessed September 7, 2026.

2. Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Medical management of restrictive eating disorders in adolescents and young adults. J Adolesc Health. 2022;71(5):648-654. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.08.006. PMID: 36058805. https://escholarship.org/content/qt7dz1c6ds/qt7dz1c6ds.pdf. Accessed September 7, 2026.

3. Nagata JM et al. Predictors of muscularity-oriented disordered eating behaviors in U.S. young adults: a prospective cohort study. 2019. DOI:10.1002/eat.23094. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/eat.23094. Accessed September 7, 2026.

4. Diemer EW et al. Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, and Eating-Related Pathology in a National Sample of College Students. 2015. PMID:25937471. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25937471/. Accessed September 7, 2026.

5. Bauman V et al. Incidence and prevalence of eating disorders among U.S. military service members, 2016-2021. 2024. DOI:10.1002/eat.24229. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/eat.24229. Accessed September 7, 2026.

6. Phillips KA. Diagnosing BDD. International OCD Foundation; DSM-5 muscle dysmorphia specifier. https://bdd.iocdf.org/professionals/diagnosis/. Accessed September 7, 2026.

7. NICE. Eating disorders: recognition and treatment, NG69. Published 23 May 2017; last updated 16 December 2020. UK recommendations; . https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng69/chapter/recommendations. Accessed September 7, 2026.

8. Royal College of Psychiatrists. Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders, CR233. 2022; updated December 2025. https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/campaigning-for-better-mental-health-policy/college-reports/2022-college-reports/cr233. Accessed September 7, 2026.

9. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Official service information; . https://988lifeline.org/. Accessed September 7, 2026.

10. Paslakis G. Eating disorders in boys and men: a gender-critical narrative review on recognition, stigma, and treatment. Int J Eat Disord. 2026;59(7):1397-1402. DOI: 10.1002/eat.70085. PMID: 41873235. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.70085. Accessed September 7, 2026.

If you or someone you know is in crisis

• Call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room for any life-threatening emergency.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988, available 24/7. En español: marque 988 y oprima 2. Veterans: 988 and press 1, or text 838255.
• Crisis Text Line — text HOME to 741741.
• The Trevor Project (crisis support for LGBTQ+ young people) — call 1-866-488-7386, or text START to 678-678.
• National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN) — call 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or text HOPE to 64673; free, confidential, 24/7. Online chat at RAINN.org/hotline.
• National Domestic Violence Hotline — call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788; 24/7, help in 200+ languages. Online chat at TheHotline.org. If your phone or computer may be monitored, calling from a safer device is an option.
• Riverside County — Inland SoCal Crisis Helpline 951-686-HELP (4357), 24/7 (Inland SoCal United Way / 211+, in partnership with RUHS-BH); Community Access, Referral, Evaluation and Support (CARES) Line 800-499-3008, 24/7.
• San Bernardino County — Access Unit (Behavioral Health Helpline) 888-743-1478, 24/7; Mobile Crisis/CCRT 800-398-0018 (24/7, all ages) or text 909-420-0560. Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) has a dedicated walk-in adolescent psychiatric ER (ages 13–17).
• Children under 13 — call 911 for immediate danger, contact your county's mobile crisis team (they respond to all ages), or go to the nearest pediatric emergency room.
• California Peer-Run Warm Line (non-crisis — someone to talk to) — call or text 1-855-600-WARM (9276); daytime and evening hours, not a 24/7 line.
• NP Fady (non-emergency) — for routine scheduling or questions, call (909) 707-6261. This line is not monitored for emergencies.