Vegetarians - More Likely to Have Eating Disorders?

A study came out recently that examined the relationship between vegetarians and eating disorders, and it's stirring up some serious controversy. It found that adolescent and young adult vegetarians, while more likely to be of a healthy weight and follow a healthier diet filled with fruits and vegetables, also "may be at increased risk for disordered eating behaviors, such as binge eating and unhealthful weight-control behaviors (such as forcing themselves to vomit, using diuretics and laxatives, and taking diet pills)." Yikes!Of course, a conclusion like this has been picked up by plenty of outlets. Diet Blog has a particularly lively discussion going on in the comments, and an interesting point is broached. Is it really that vegetarians face an increased risk of developing an eating disorder? Or, is someone with an eating disorder just more likely to gravitate toward a restrictive diet, such as vegetarianism? When you think about it that way, it makes a lot of sense. An anorexic teenager can use vegetarianism to more easily hide his or her unhealthy diet -- Mom and Dad will be far more likely to accept their child's refusal of a pork chop if it's because their child is a vegetarian, and might not notice that far fewer calories are being consumed.