FATHERING AND FOOD
PREFERENCES OF PATIENTS WITH EATING DISORDERS
Ishigame K, Kono M, Ito
A, Fukuda K, Kawahra N, and Minotozaki K
National Hara Hospital,
Hiroshima, Japan
Objective: The purpose of this
study is to reveal the relationships among dieting behavior and emotional
states of their fathers of patients with eating disorders in Japan.
Methods: We conducted
investigations at 25 medical facilities in 1999-2000. Subjects completed
the questionnaire.
Results: The number of patients
diagnosed as eating disorders was 84. Affected females outnumbered males by
24 to 1. The mean age was 21.4 years old (10-48 yr). Father-patient
interaction was somewhat comparable (P<0.01). In restricting anorexics,
ratings of refusal to eat for high-fat/high-carbohydrate (CHO) food were
significantly correlated. At overeating state, ratings of desire to eat for
low-fat/high-CHO food were significantly correlated.
Conclusion: 1. Perhaps father
provides an adaptive opportunity for the patients to learn about another
dimension of themselves as an individual separate and independent from the
mother. 2. Our observation suggests that mental stress may influence
neurochemical systems affecting food intake, which are independent of the
mechanisms by which carbohydrate and lipid depletion can influence the
regulation of energy balance.