Eating Disorders

Must have a full balance of several nutrients to protect against serious damage

However, what is not well known is that they may be able to actually stop these disorders mentally in some cases. Anorexia nervosa is the best known of the disorders, but they also include bulimia nervosa as well as binge eating.

The vast majority of cases of these disorders occur in females but they can also in males.

Dangers:

Eating disorders are not one single condition, but rather a group of serious conditions in which you are so preoccupied with food and weight that you can literally not focus on anything else. Depression and suicidal thoughts are the most commonly discussed dangers associated with these disorders, but that is just the tip of the ice berg so to speak in the actual physical damages it can cause.

If the actual dangers were discussed more openly, perhaps it would help to slow down this ever growing threat.

What are not well known about eating disorders are the numerous complications they can cause as the disorders grow, as well as the damages that they can do to your long term health. Amenorrhea, which is the absence of menstruation, is one of the potential risks as well as bone loss, stunted growth, and digestive problems.

However, these disorders can also cause seizures, kidney damage, high or low blood pressure, as well as type 2 diabetes. They can also cause severe tooth decay and gall stones as well as the saddest of all of the threats; death.

Types and Symptoms:

Eating disorders have three very distinctive forms or types, and each one of them will show different symptoms that will help you identify what is happening to one of your loved ones or close friends. Once this horrible condition does take over, they must rely on you to help identify these symptoms simply because they will be so obsessed with food and weight they will care about nothing else but these two factors.

Anorexia nervosa:

With this form of eating disorders there will be two major focus points; food and becoming thin almost to the point of starvation. The signs that you can watch for with this form is refusing to eat and denying hunger, an intense fear and obsession with gaining weight, as well as excessive exercising.

You will also start to see a gradual negative self-image, a total lack of emotion, as well as a sudden and almost total social withdrawal. However, besides the obvious thinning appearance, you may also begin to see dizziness and fainting in some cases as well as lanugo.

Lanugo is the sudden appearance of a very soft and fine hair on the body that almost looks like fur, and this is one of the most telling signs that will help you identify what is happening to your loved one. Other signs will be a loss of menstruation, dry skin, and dehydration.

Bulimia nervosa:

This form of eating disorders occurs in episodes of binge eating and then trying to purge the body of the food that was just consumed. The signs that you can watch for with this condition include eating to the point of discomfort usually with very high fat or sweet like foods which is then followed by laxatives or induced vomiting.

Going to the bathroom during eating is also a real warning sign, as is as a sudden obsession with exercise directly after eating. Damaged teeth or gums, sores in the mouth or throat, and the sudden development of scars or sores on the knuckles or hands are also signs to watch for.

Binge eating:

The final type of eating disorders is binge eating which is where someone will eat well past the point of being full. This is the complete opposite of the other two disorders as it will normally result in extreme overweight conditions to the point of being obese.

Diets will be an everyday part of life but they will be continually interrupted by this form of disorder.

The signs to watch for are eating well past what would be considered normal, eating large amounts of food at one time, or eating alone most of the time. Other signs include eating when stressed or upset.

Nutrients:

Any type of eating disorders is dangerous, but the first two types could potentially be fatal if not treated and controlled. Malnutrition will slowly create both a physical as well as a mental slowdown, and the target should be to feed the brain with nutrients. These disorders are often associated with mental illness instead of mind over body control.

All of the therapy in the world will be wasted if the mind cannot focus, so you must feed the brain with nutrients which keeps it fully functioning.

The first and most important supplement will be a multi-vitamin until you can get your loved one to begin to eat real food again. However, as important as it is, it cannot replace food but at least it is a beginning and will help to avoid malnourishment.

It is estimated that without any type of help as high as 20 percent of anorexia patients will die and anyone suffering from bulimia can develop stomach ruptures or heart problems without the proper nutrients. However, it will also be critical to balance electrolytes with these two forms of eating disorders.

It is very well documented that one of the largest risks with this condition is a life threatening electrolyte imbalance. Electrolytes are minerals that become charged when they are dissolved in body tissues, and they are critical in controlling heart rates as well as blood pressure.

The two major minerals in this function are potassium and sodium, and a very rapid weight loss can rapidly deplete the body’s supply of potassium. Magnesium is also essential in this process and most all cases of these two forms of eating disorders will have a deficiency of one or more of these minerals.

Calcium is another mineral that will be essential as it will be needed to protect both bone growth as well as bone replacement. If a calcium deficiency is combined with amenorrhea, the results for any chance of a normal life may be devastating. In some cases of severe anorexia a 25 year old women may have the bones of 80 year old women as they will have absolutely no idea of the damages they are causing to their body.

Zinc is also critical, as a deficiency of this mineral can cause weight loss, depression, as well as amenorrhea.

However, zinc supplements can drastically turn the tables on the damages that are being inflicted, but if it is not supplemented there may be a two pronged attacked that strikes and the weight loss can be even more severe. Iron will also be needed to protect against anemia as well as several vitamins.

Both vitamins A and E are fat soluble vitamins and if there is very little fat in the body, you will become deficient of these nutrients very rapidly. In fact, in most all cases of early treatments with this condition, these two vitamins are the first to be used in conjunction with a multi-vitamin.

Summary:

B vitamins are also critical as both a thiamin and niacin deficiency can easily cause depression. Depression is a natural symptom of these eating disorders and insuring they are in adequate supply with do two things; help to slow the depression as well as preventing it.

These disorders are very dangerous but it can be helped by feeding both your brain and body with the correct nutrients.

Eating Disorders and Nutrients

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