The stark reality is that anorexia, bulimia and compulsive eating can occur at any time in an individual's life and age has nothing to do with it.

An intriguing new study reveals that more and more women in their twenties, thirties, forties, and beyond are under just as much pressure as the young girls to remain thin.

Christine Morgan, chief executive of the Butterfly Foundation, an organization that supports Australians with eating disorders stated, "There is this misunderstanding that an eating disorder is something that occurs in adolescence and by the time you're in your 20s it's all behind you, but unfortunately this is not always the case."

A novel study conducted
Stephen Touyz, professor of clinical psychology
at the University of Sydney examined women from Sydney and London who have been suffering from the eating disorder for the better part of seven years.

Though most of the women were hesitant to talk about their eating disorder, he noted the problem was pretty common in older women, with many suffering from it since their early youth.

Since eating disorders are generally linked to teenage girls, older women feel shame in openly admitting to the illness and refrain from reaching out for help.

Stephen stated, "People who fall into this particular category are not in treatment because they are too scared to seek help - because getting better means putting on weight.

"It's not that there are not enough people suffering it is that they continue to suffer in silence - in some cases for decades."

Some plausible reasons
Experts theorize that the disorder is not triggered by anything specific but may be a combination of many factors.

Middle age is fraught with issues like divorce, kids leaving home, remarriage, career hassles which can breed insecurities.

In addition, women may be assaulted by feeling of self-hate, worthlessness and low self-esteem and start hankering for slender looks, beauty and a wonderful appearance in order to be happy.

This misguided search for perfection and an "ideal body image" sometimes triggers the eating disorders.

Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that involves limiting one's intake of food, sometimes to the point of starvation.

Persons with this disorder have an intense fear of gaining weight even when they are grossly underweight.

They sometimes eat, then make themselves throw up. They may also use water pills (diuretics) and laxatives to lose weight.

This disorder usually occurs in adolescence and is more common in females. The exact causes of anorexia nervosa are unknown.

Factors like genetics and social attitudes toward body appearance may play a role.Most individuals with anorexia nervosa do not recognize that they have an eating disorder.