Table 1.

Summary of sex differences (how males differ from females) in eating disorders

Domain	Documented Differences and Similarities
Signs & Symptoms	•  Males are more likely to present with ARFID or sub-threshold BED •  Mortality rates comprable between sexes •  Males engage in high rates of physical activity as compensatory method •  Females demonstrate increased drive for thiness, while males have increased concern with muscularity and shape •  Males are more likely to have a history of higher weight prior to ED onset •  Males may have fewer psychiatric co-morbidities •  Levels of distress are comprable between sexes •  Males with comorbidities are at greater risk for suicide attempts
Genetics	•  Genetic influence on risk for males is constant (50%); whereas female risk jumps from 0% to 50% at puberty
Sex Hormones	•  Testosterone exposure during prenatal development may protect against risk for the development of eating disorders •  Testosterone may be a protective factor for males vis a vis binge eating
Neurocogntive Differences	•  Common areas of study in adults include central coherence and set-shifting •  Rarely examined in adolescence, sample sizes are small and generalizaations cannot be made regarding sex differences
Reward Circuitry	•  No research examining sex differences in EDs