Brittany Murphy Dies of Heart Attack Possibly Because of Eating Disorder

Brittany Murphy, at just thirty-two years old, has died early this morning from a heart attack. The extremely thin actress, Brittany Murphy had starred in movies such as "Clueless, "8 Mile" with Eminem, "Sin City" and "Don't Say a Word". Brittany Murphy was pronounced dead on arrival at Cedars Sanai Medical Center of a heart attack. There was a 911 call from her husband at approximately 8:00 a.m. this morning to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Rumors had circulated in the past through Hollywood about the possibility of Brittany Murphy having an eating disorder. The young actress was always painfully thin and obviously underweight. But she had always vehemently denied any of these eating disorder rumors and usually stated that she was just naturally thin.

There are photos circulating on the web that show Brittany Murphy back on December 2nd, 2009 at the "Across the Hall" movie premiere. She was wearing a slim back off the shoulder dress that showed her collarbones protruding and waif-like arms. The author of the article, Sunny Pepper, was showing how emaciated the actresses frame had become from a photo taken just three years earlier. It is possible that Brittany Murphy had an eating disorder and that it did affect the functioning of her cardiovascular system.

The Sam Houston State University Counseling Center states that "eating disorders affect about a half-million people at any given time." They go on to say that 6 to 10% of those affected with an eating disorder will die and most of them from a heart attack.

There are three main types of eating disorders that affect people: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia and Binge Eating.

The Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center discusses Anorexia Nervosa starvation as affecting most organ groups of the body. They continue that "Physical signs and symptoms include but are not limited to constipation, abnormally low heart rate, abdominal distress, dryness of skin, hypotension, fine body hair, lack of menstrual periods. Anorexia Nervosa causes anemia, cardiovascular problems, changes in brain structure, osteoporosis, and kidney dysfunction.

Although many in-roads are being made for more normal-weight women to be looked at as attractive, there is still extreme pressure in advertising and the media for the "perfect" shape to be very tiny and thin. It is reported that 80% of females have dieted before they reach their 18th birthday and about 20% of women between the ages of 18 and 29 are trying to lose weight, although they are not medically overweight.

It is a horrible shame that this beautiful young woman, Brittany Murphy, is now gone. She will be missed by her family, friends and fans.

Sources:
http://www.current-movie-reviews.com/people/2009/12/20/brittany-murphy-dies-of-heart-attack/

http://www.shsu.edu/~counsel/hs/eatdis.html

http://www.edreferral.com/consequences_of_ed.htm

http://www.examiner.com/x-20836-Celebrity-Fitness-and-Health-Examiner~y2009m12d2-Brittany-Murphys-before-and-after-too-skinny-photos-raise-eyebrows