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Home > Help Desk > Health Concern > Section E > Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are complex conditions involving psychological factors and nutritional deficiencies. The psychological factors may include an inability to cope with stress, problems with family and other relationships, feelings of deprivation, and experiences of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Psychotherapy is an essential part of the treatment for eating disorders, along with nutrition counseling and medical care as needed.
The term eating disorders includes anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge-eating. A person with anorexia does not eat enough to maintain a healthy weight; she views herself as overweight and is anxious about gaining weight. Anorexia typically begins in early adolescence, mainly among girls, though the numbers of boys developing this condition is increasing. People with anorexia weigh less than 85% of the normal weight for their age and height. Excessive exercise, vomiting, and abuse of laxatives and/or diuretics may also occur. Severe anorexia can be life threatening.
Bulimia, also known as bingeing and purging, is more common than anorexia, and usually affects teenage girls and women in their twenties. It involves a recurring, emotionally driven cycle of compulsive consumption of large quantities of high-calorie food in a short period of time, followed by induced vomiting. Some individuals also use laxatives, drugs that induce vomiting, diuretics, or excessive exercise in an attempt to purge. About 50% of anorexics also purge, and both bulimia and anorexia can coexist in the same person. Unlike those with anorexia, some people affected by bulimia maintain normal or even excessive body weight.
Binge-eating disorder is similar to bulimia but no purging is done. It is more common than either bulimia or anorexia nervosa, and people with binge-eating disorder are usually overweight.
What are the symptoms of eating disorders?
People with eating disorders may have a preoccupation with weight and food, anxiety about their body image, and/or a feeling that they lose control over how much they eat. They may also exercise compulsively and, in women, experience missed menstrual periods. They may also frequently use laxatives, diet pills, and medicines designed to induce vomiting or reduce fluid retention.
How is it treated?
Conventional treatment for eating disorders includes psychological counseling, such as cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, psychodynamic, and family therapy. Medications commonly prescribed for bulimia include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants. For anorexia nervosa, some doctors prescribe the antihistamine cyproheptadine to stimulate appetite.
Dietary changes that may be helpful:
The most important dietary change for people with eating disorders is to eat a sufficient amount of calories without purging. To accomplish this, most will need psychological as well as nutrition counseling.
Individuals with both bulimia and anorexia are likely to report a craving for sugar; people with bulimia eat more sweets and carbohydrates, particularly during binges, than do healthy individuals.
Lifestyle changes that may be helpful:
Although regular, moderate exercise offers important health benefits, for many people excessive exercise is a common component of eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa. For people with eating disorders, it is important to establish and maintain healthy exercise habits; these individuals should consult with a healthcare professional skilled in eating disorders.
Nutritional supplements that may be helpful:
People with eating disorders who restrict their food intake are at risk for multiple nutrient deficiencies, including protein, calcium, iron, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin B6, and essential fatty acids. A general multivitamin-mineral formula can reduce the detrimental health effects of these deficiencies.
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