Marine Corps body composition standards may be leading to eating disorders
By Rachel Nostrant
Mar 31, 11:59 AM
The Marine Corps’ Body Composition and Military Appearance Program may be leading to a force that is fit but unhealthy, a Rand study has found ― leaving Marines with behaviors typically associated with eating disorders.
The body composition program does not allow for Marines to grow and maintain the increased muscle mass required to meet the standards of their jobs or the increasingly demanding physical fitness assessments, according to the study’s findings, published March 25. And an emphasis on physical appearance as a leadership trait may be a top factor in higher rates of eating disorders.
“Marines are diagnosed with eating disorders at higher rates than other service members, and women Marines in particular are diagnosed more than others,” the report showed, with Marines diagnosed “at nearly twice the rate of other services.”
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2022/03/31/marine-corps-body-composition-standards-may-be-leading-to-eating-disorders/
