An article published in the December issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry indicates that it is feasible to identify in advance, young female dieters who will develop eating disorders within the next two years.  Most reassuring of the study's findings was the low percentage of dieters surveyed who developed an eating disorder over the course of the 2 year study (3.5% developed some type of eating disorder).  

"Not surprisingly, the dieters who developed an eating disorder had more disturbed eating habits and attitudes at recruitment than those who did not, as reflected in their higher scores on the global subscale of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire.  Also unsurprising is the fact that several of the features that best discriminated future cases from future noncases were features that are seen in people with eating disorders, albeit at a more severe level.  Other ominous features were less predictable: namely, eating in secret; preoccupation with food, eating, shape or weight; fear of losing control over eating; and wanting to have a completely empty stomach."

 These results should be encouraging because they indicate, that with a healthy outlook, dieting can be very productive.  Also, this study helps to confirm that dieting in and of itself, should not be cause for concern.  It is the attitudes and impulses behind our dieting that can grow into eating disorders.

For those who are considering a diet, I suggest exploring the Perricone Diet, which was developed by a dermatologist and focuses not necessarily on losing weight, but on looking and feeling younger. More on Perricone later.......