Gay Men, Eating Disorders, and Food Noise

Eating disorders are often associated with women, which can make them easier to overlook in men. Historically, men have also been underrepresented in eating disorder research, and researchers have increasingly argued that some male presentations may not fit the traditional picture of an eating disorder, particularly when the goal is muscularity rather than simply thinness.

This is particularly relevant when talking about gay men. Research has consistently found elevated body image concerns among gay and sexual minority men compared with heterosexual men. One of the complexities is that the desired body may involve two goals at once: being muscular while also maintaining very low body fat. Research has found evidence of both thinness and muscularity concerns among gay men, as well as higher levels of some forms of body image disturbance and eating disorder pathology. That can make disordered eating surprisingly difficult to recognize.

Tracking calories, weighing food, prioritizing protein, cutting, bulking, or following a structured workout routine do not automatically constitute disordered eating. But similar behaviors can become concerning when they become increasingly rigid or begin interfering with someone's life. Someone might avoid restaurants because they don't know the calories in the food, restrict the day after eating more than planned, exercise to compensate for eating, or experience significant distress when they can't follow their usual diet or workout routine.

Researchers have increasingly studied muscularity-oriented disordered eating to better capture eating behaviors organized around achieving a lean, muscular physique. Recent research has also found higher levels of muscularity-oriented eating behaviors, muscle dysmorphia symptoms, and exercise-addiction symptoms among physically active gay men compared with heterosexual men. There is also the mental side of eating that can be much less visible.

The term “food noise” has recently been used to describe persistent thoughts about food that feel unwanted or distressing. I remember the first time I heard it. It was after describing my own rigid calorie counting to my supervisor in my counseling internship. This can include repeatedly thinking about what to eat, calories, macronutrients, portions, and meal timing. The scientific study of food noise is still relatively new, so it shouldn't be treated as a diagnosis or simply another name for an eating disorder.

In this episode of boy meets therapy, I look at eating disorders and disordered eating among gay men, why body image concerns may be particularly relevant for this population, and how behaviors that appear to be fitness or discipline can sometimes become rigid, distressing, or disruptive.

References and Studies Used in this Blog Post (and Episode):

Dhurandhar, E. J., Maki, K. C., Dhurandhar, N. V., Kyle, T. K., Yurkow, S., Hawkins, M. A. W., Agley, J., Ho, E. H., Cheskin, L. J., Sørensen, T. I. A., Wang, X. R., & Allison, D. B. (2025). Food noise: Definition, measurement, and future research directions. Nutrition & Diabetes, 15, Article 30.

Griffiths, S., Mond, J. M., Li, Z., Gunatilake, S., Murray, S. B., Sheffield, J., & Touyz, S. (2015). Self-stigma of seeking treatment and being male predict an increased likelihood of having an undiagnosed eating disorder. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 48(6), 775–778.

Lev Arey, D., Peleg, Y., & Gutman, T. (2025). Male body image in focus: Muscularity-oriented eating behaviours, muscle dysmorphia, and exercise addiction in gay and heterosexual men. Journal of Eating Disorders, 13, Article 151.

Murray, S. B., Brown, T. A., Blashill, A. J., Compte, E. J., Lavender, J. M., Mitchison, D., Mond, J. M., Keel, P. K., & Nagata, J. M. (2019). The development and validation of the muscularity-oriented eating test: A novel measure of muscularity-oriented disordered eating. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 52(12), 1389–1398.

Murray, S. B., Nagata, J. M., Griffiths, S., Calzo, J. P., Brown, T. A., Mitchison, D., Blashill, A. J., & Mond, J. M. (2017). The enigma of male eating disorders: A critical review and synthesis. Clinical Psychology Review, 57, 1–11.

Nowicki, G. P., Marchwinski, B. R., O’Flynn, J. L., Griffiths, S., & Rodgers, R. F. (2022). Body image and associated factors among sexual minority men: A systematic review. Body Image, 43, 154–169.

Schmidt, M., Taube, C. O., Heinrich, T., Vocks, S., & Hartmann, A. S. (2022). Body image disturbance and associated eating disorder and body dysmorphic disorder pathology in gay and heterosexual men: A systematic analyses of cognitive, affective, behavioral and perceptual aspects. PLOS ONE, 17(12), e0278558.

Soulliard, Z. A., Lattanner, M. R., & Pachankis, J. E. (2024). Pressure from within: Gay-community stress and body dissatisfaction among sexual-minority men. Clinical Psychological Science, 12(4), 607–624.

Yelland, C., & Tiggemann, M. (2003). Muscularity and the gay ideal: Body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in homosexual men. Eating Behaviors, 4(2), 107–116.

National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Eating disorders. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIMH Eating Disorders

National Eating Disorders Association. (n.d.). Eating disorder warning signs and symptoms. NEDA Warning Signs and Symptoms