Eating disorders, including anorexia, may begin with normal dieting and exercising, but as weight drops, a compulsion to lose even more may be triggered. A cycle of starvation can continue until the person is subsisting on very little food, possibly as a way to deal with painful emotions. Being able to control hunger then becomes all the person thinks about. The result can be damaging to physical and emotional health. If you are worried that someone you love is developing this serious eating disorder, talk to a health care professional who can evaluate the signs of of starvation from excessive dieting.
Extreme Weight Loss
According to the New York Time's Health Guide, weight loss that results in a person weighing 30 percent less than the recommended body weight for their age or height may lead to a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, especially if weight loss continues, despite treatment and any appeals you may make to your loved one. The Weight-control Information Network states that people following a very low calorie diet for one to four months may experience fatigue, nausea, diarrhea or constipation. The formation of gallstones may also occur as a side effect of rapid weight loss, probably due to increased cholesterol levels in bile and less frequent emptying of the gallbladder.
Abnormal Blood Work
In research conducted in Naples, Italy, 91 young women with anorexia nervosa who were in starvation were evaluated at an outpatient clinic. Carmela Romano and colleagues, who published the study in the February 2003 "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," found that all the women experienced the cessation of normal menstrual cycles; laboratory signs of this included low lutenizing hormone in 95 percent of subjects, and half had low follicle stimulating hormone. Other blood markers were variable; 18 of the women had low cholesterol and 34 had high cholesterol levels. A few of the subjects had severe electrolyte abnormalities, such as low calcium, which may lead to bone loss. Watch for signs and symptoms of low calcium, which may include muscle cramps or twitching, irregular heartbeat, numbness and tingling in fingers and toes, and depressed mood, irritability and confusion.
Vitamin And Mineral Deficiencies
DermNet NZ lists physical changes you may see as a result of diet starvation and subsequent vitamin and mineral deficiencies, including pale, dry and itchy skin. Malnutrition may also result in hair loss and soft, thin or malformed nails. Deficiency of B vitamins and iron can can cause the tongue to become smooth and shiny, and sores may erupt at the corners of the mouth. Gum inflammation is caused by vitamin C deficiency, and healing is impaired if zinc levels are too low. Too few blood platelets, which may result from severe deficiencies and starvation, cause skin to bruise easily.
References
- "The New York Times": Anorexia Nervosa
- Weight-control Information Network: Very Low Calorie Diets
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," Reduced Hemodynamic Load and Cardiac Hypotrophy in Patients With Anorexia Nervosa, Romano C., et. al., February 2003, 77(2)
- DermNet NZ: Malnutrion Including Anorexia Nervosa
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