Gay teenage boys are more likely than heterosexual boys to have symptoms of eating disorders, according to researchers presenting at the Lesbian Health Conference in Washington, DC. Lesbian teens, however, are less likely to have such symptoms when compared to heterosexual girls.

"We're really at the beginning of figuring out who these adolescents are, and why they are at increased risk of eating disorders, and other unhealthy behaviours," said Sydney Bryn Austin, MD, of Children's Hospital and Harvard University in Boston.

Findings were based on surveys completed by 10,136 girls and boys between the ages of 12 and 17, Reuters Health reported. Teens were asked about their sexual orientation and their feelings about their weight and bodies, as well as their eating habits.

Gay and bisexual boys were 15 times more likely to report binge eating than heterosexual boys, according to the article in Reuters Health. Gay and bisexual boys were twice as likely to admit that they were recently trying to lose weight when compared to heterosexual boys.

Lesbian or bisexual girls were half as likely to have dieted within the last year as heterosexuals.

Researchers now hope to figure out why lesbian and bisexual girls are less likely to have eating disorders. "If we find out, maybe we can protect heterosexual girls," said Austin.