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Girls who induce vomiting to control their weight may also be jeopardizing their bone health, even if the behavior is occasional and even if their weight is in a healthy range, finds a study led by Bryn Austin, ScD, of Children's Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine. Analyzing national data
from nearly 2,800 high school girls, Dr. Austin found that girls who vomited just one to three times per month were 1.6 times
likelier than girls who didn't report vomiting to have irregular menstrual cycles. Girls who vomited once or more per week were 3.2 times more likely to have irregular cycles. Overall, 12 percent of girls reported self-induced vomiting at least once per month in the recent past, yet only 16.5 percent of them had ever been treated for an eating disorder. Bottom line: If a girl's menstrual cycles are irregular, she may be using
vomiting to control her weight, potentially disrupting her hormonal function. (Journal of Adolescent Health, May)
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