You're listening to Well Now, Slate's podcast on Health and Wellness.

I'm Maya Fowler.

And I'm Kavita Patel.

About 9% of the U.S. population, which is just under 30 million people, may be diagnosed

with an eating disorder at some point in their lives.

And for decades, research into eating disorders focused

overwhelmingly on cisgendered girls and women. So many boys and men who also

live with these disorders have faced a lack of care, resources, and support.

That's especially dangerous because eating disorders are more deadly than any psychiatric

disorder except for opioid addiction.

And the problem among males is growing. One study shows the number of boys and men

hospitalized with eating disorders has increased more than 400% in the last two decades.

But doctors' understanding of boys with eating disorders

is evolving.

That's why today we're going to speak with a doctor

who's become an expert on treating and recognizing eating disorders,

especially for boys and men. But before we get to that, Maya, I'm curious to know if

you've ever encountered patients with eating disorders in your work, I you have especially since nutrition is a key

component how is a dietitian have you gone about taking care of them?

That's a great question kavita so I sit on two different interdisciplinary care teams and I lead the

nutrition portion of the care teams and we work in conjunction with a

psychiatrist, a, as well as a primary care provider, and sometimes coaches who are on the ground with the patients.

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