Healthy Body
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Eating Disorders Take a Serious Toll on Women in Midlife
September 2025
Photo Credit: Jacob Lowe
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By Karen Maserjian Shan
Most often, people associate eating disorders with thin, young, white women. But eating disorders – that is, serious health conditions that cause severe effects on a person’s physical, mental and overall wellbeing – also affect women in midlife and others. Eating disorders are life-threatening illnesses involving severe eating practices based on obsessions and fixations on weight loss, physical appearance, and/or food consumption. “The majority of what people think about [regarding] eating disorders are misperceptions,” says Ashley Moser, a certified eating disorder specialist, licensed marriage and family therapist, and clinical education specialist at The Renfrew Center, an eating disorder treatment center with locations nationwide. “Eating disorders can and do affect everyone and anyone,” adds Moser, who also has a private therapy practice. |
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Diverse Populations
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Close to 29 million Americans will develop an eating disorder during their lifetime, including “people of all ages, racial and ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, body shapes, ability levels, and socioeconomic statuses,” according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health (OASH). With that, OASH reports women are up to five times more likely to develop the condition than men are, with 2% to 7.7 % of women aged 40 and older meeting the criteria for an eating disorder. Yet only 27% of people affected by an eating disorder seek adequate help – even while no other psychiatric illness takes more lives, according to an article published in Harvard Health Publishing.
At risk among people with an eating disorder, reports the Mayo Clinic, is inadequate nutrition, along with harm to an afflicted person’s heart, digestive system, bones and teeth, plus the potential onset of other physical and mental conditions, such as depression and anxiety. In the long term, the outcomes can cause death. |
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Disordered Eating Versus an Eating Disorder
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While disordered eating doesn’t meet the frequency, severity and duration criteria of a diagnosed eating disorder, Darpinian says disordered eating includes similar behaviors, such as skipping meals, eating large amounts of food at once, avoiding certain food groups, yo-yo or frequent dieting, anxiety around food choices, and excessive exercising. |
Also important is another condition called disordered eating that lies between typical eating behaviors and those that are a problem, says Signe Darpinian, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and certified eating disorder specialist based in California.
“Both seriously impair the quality of life and take up a lot of headspace,” says Darpinian, author of the forthcoming book A Woman's Guide to Menopause, Body Image, and Emotional Well-being at Midlife (Routledge, December 8, 2025). |
While disordered eating doesn’t meet the frequency, severity and duration criteria of a diagnosed eating disorder, Darpinian says disordered eating includes similar behaviors, such as skipping meals, eating large amounts of food at once, avoiding certain food groups, yo-yo or frequent dieting, anxiety around food choices, and excessive exercising.
Issues Specific to Women in Midlife
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No instance of having an eating disorder is identical to another, says Moser, yet there are commonalities among women in midlife that contribute to the development of an eating disorder that are often heightened by the overriding pressure of society’s diet culture to meet the ideal of being thin and young-looking.
One influence making women in midlife vulnerable to developing the disorder is the natural onset of hormonal changes, along with hair thinning, skin wrinkling, age spots, and weight gain, as well as public campaigns aimed at antiaging products for women and youth as the standard of beauty. With that, some women see practices associated with an eating disorder as a means to achieve society’s ideals. In addition, pressures women in midlife often face, such as caring for both aging parents and children, empty nesting, career shifts, and divorce or spousal separation, have some women turning to an eating disorder to cope with high stress levels. |
One influence making women in midlife vulnerable to developing the disorder is the natural onset of hormonal changes, along with hair thinning, skin wrinkling, age spots, and weight gain, as well as public campaigns aimed at antiaging products for women and youth as the standard of beauty. |
“Thinking eating disorders are about food and weight only is incorrect,” says Moser, with afflicted women often feeling invisible and shamed. “Eating disorders are emotional disorders,” explains Moser. “The behaviors are used to avoid, suppress and control uncomfortable situations.”
Here, Moser says, the emotional and binge eating, purging food, and excessive exercise associated with eating disorders can give women a sense of comfort, relief and distraction from their daily stressors.
Here, Moser says, the emotional and binge eating, purging food, and excessive exercise associated with eating disorders can give women a sense of comfort, relief and distraction from their daily stressors.
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Societal Influences and Pressures
Another point is society’s positive response to weight loss, from general public messaging to well-meaning colleagues, loved ones, and even well-intended health care providers, who, says Darpinian, may unwittingly encourage weight loss through programs and medications without first confirming whether their patient has or has had an eating disorder. “In our thin- and youth-obsessed culture there’s a lot of pressure to have a 30-year-old body,” Darpinian explains. Still another issue is the labeling of foods as good, bad or another moralistic designation and the impact it has on how food is perceived. “What’s best for your body is very individual,” says Moser. Primary, she adds, are food basics and factors like personal allergies. “People start to think food is bad, overall,” she says of the labels, potentially contributing to an eating disorder. |
“There’s a real withdrawal from social and personal relationships,” Moser warns, including physical and emotional distancing from family, friends and colleagues. “It’s hard to maintain disorder and relationships.”
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Challenges and Treatments
Effective care can be a challenge for women in midlife who have an eating disorder. Many women, OSHA reports, are ashamed or believe the condition only affects younger people. As well, treatment is often geared towards younger individuals and may include cognitive therapy, nutritional counseling with a registered dietitian, medical attention, and in some cases, a live-in program. “It’s a tricky stage of life to get treatment,” says Darpinian, as many women are coping with numerous, time-consuming commitments. “People are in such different spots. There are people in their early 60s with elementary school kids, in their 50s with grandkids, retired from their career…it’s not a great time for a higher level of care.” Moser shares it’s important to notice stereotypes at the forefront of eating disorders. “People are not receiving the help they need,” she says. “Families don’t recognize the symptoms…because of the stereotype. There are systems in place that are missing people they could help.” How the media depicts eating disorders is also important, she adds. “Don’t just include visual stories of women who are young, thin, white and female,” she says. “Visibility is a huge component. [Older women] may be more likely to recognize themselves, seek support, and feel included.” |
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Understanding Eating Disorders/Red Flags
Eating disorders include several diagnosed conditions, the top three including: anorexia nervosa that involves highly restrictive eating, binge eating that is expressed through excessive eating within a short period of time, bulimia nervosa where binge eating is followed by throwing up or using laxatives, among other conditions. (Harvard Health)
Red flags that may indicate an eating disorder (Mayo Clinic):
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Additional Resources:
Addressing Eating Disorders in Midlife (U.S. Deptartment of Health & Human Services, OASH)
Eating Disorders — Statistics (NIH)
What is an Eating Disorder? (National Eating Disorders Collaboration, NEDC)
Eating Disorders in Midlife and Beyond (National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
Eating Disorders — Symptoms, Causes, Risk Factors (Mayo Clinic)
Support Groups and Other Resources (ANAD)
Addressing Eating Disorders in Midlife (U.S. Deptartment of Health & Human Services, OASH)
Eating Disorders — Statistics (NIH)
What is an Eating Disorder? (National Eating Disorders Collaboration, NEDC)
Eating Disorders in Midlife and Beyond (National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
Eating Disorders — Symptoms, Causes, Risk Factors (Mayo Clinic)
Support Groups and Other Resources (ANAD)
Karen Maserjian Shan is an award-winning writer, editor and journalist with an expertise in connecting people and businesses across print and digital platforms, including more than 1,600 articles for such publications as Professional Office Design, Interior Design, the Poughkeepsie Journal, Chronogram, Hudson Valley Magazine and Hudson Valley Parent, where she also was the magazine’s editor. She is Sanctuary's assistant editor.
