As many as 10 million females and one million males in the United States struggle with a life-threatening eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia - a number equivalent to the combined population of New York City and Los Angeles. Of the number of men and women who struggle with eating disorders, 95 percent are between the ages of 12 and 25.
Further revealing the severity of the situation are stats from the Renfrew Center Foundation for Eating Disorders. They claim that the mortality rate associated with anorexia is 12 times higher than the death rate of all causes of death for females ages 12-24. It is estimated that 480,000 people die every year from complications related to eating disorders.
http://archives.fca.org/vsItemDisplay.lsp?method=display&objectid=2509910B-376F-4B4E-A8A33D49F2344C67