Eating disorders can cause serious damage

Eating disorders range from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa to binge eating, compulsive exercising and other lesser-known forms.

Ninety percent of people with eating disorders are female, and 10 percent are male.

Eating disorders can affect every cell, tissue, and organ in the body. By the time friends or relatives suspect their loved one has an eating disorder, serious physical damage may have already occurred. Ultimately, starving, stuffing, and purging prove fatal.

Along the way, physical consequences include: irregular heartbeat; kidney damage; liver damage; rupture of esophagus; disr...