Women whose male romantic partners watch porn frequently are at greater risk of developing eating disorders, a new study suggests.
Researchers from Ohio State University found that women felt more pressure to have a thin body and lose weight when the men in their lives were regular consumers of porn.
The risk factors for eating disorders are complex and thought to involve genetic dispositions, particular brain chemistry and how the pressure of the world around people affects their psychology.
Some experts in the field are already pushing for prevention and treatment plans for eating disorders that involve not just the person suffering from anorexia, over-eating or bulimia.
The more pornography women's male partners watch in a week the more at-risk the women are for eating disorders, according to a new Ohio State University study
Low self-esteem and perfectionism are considered leading risk factors for disordered eating, but external forces can certainly tip the scale.
In the US, a minimum of 30 million people are estimated to struggle wwith some form of eating disorder.
Conditions like anorexia are often portrayed somewhat dismissively in the media but in fact someone dies as a direct result of an eating disorder about one every hour.
And some may develop the disorders partly in response to feelings of inadequacy.
The jury is out on porn and its mental health effects.
While some psychologists have pushed to have over-consumption of porn deemed an addiction, others have argued that graphic videos can be an outlet or even a bonding experience for couples that watch together.
But one of the risks associated with porn is its tendency to portray idealized and unrealistic versions of sex and people.
Drawing unfavorable comparisons between yourself and someone on screen can stir up deep-seeded insecurities - as can the belief that your romantic partner is making those same comparisons.
'We often talk about the influences of media, family and friends on eating disorders, but little has been done to determine how a partner's
