Anorexia most often affects women under the age of 25. The most characteristic symptoms of an anorexic person is an extreme focusing on weight and an unrealistic apprehension of his/her own appearance. People with anorexia are usually extremely thin. In addition, they have a distorted attitude towards food. This can present itself as compulsive behaviour when dealing with nutritional- and food-related subjects, for example the person may display an exaggerated interest in cooking, while on the other hand starving him-/herself and following an extreme exercise program to burn fat and become even more skinny.
Anorexia is a disease with serious physical and psychological repercussions. The disorder is potentially fatal. Even those which survive risk permanent damage to vital organs.
Possible physical and psychological damage includes:
- Underweight with wasting of muscles.
- Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
- Anaemia and low body temperature
- Easily feels cold
- Bluish skin
- Dizziness and fatigue
- Blood sugar imbalance
- Weakening
- Difficulty concentrating and learning disabilities
- Psychological imbalance
- Hormonal imbalance
- Damage to inner organs
- Irregular or ceased menstruation
- Complications during pregnancy or childlessness
- Hair loss
- Frayed and broken nails
- Brittle-bone disease
- Brain damage
When the intestine does not receive nourishment, the number of beneficial lactic acid bacteria decreases. This can lead to digestion problems once the person begins to eat again.
Anorexia is related to bulimia which is characterized by binge eating of specially selected favourites like pastries, cream éclairs, and potato chips, followed by provoked vomiting. After a while the gastric acid that accompanies the vomited food will cause increasing damage to the oesophagus and dental enamel.
Some patients have symptoms that are exclusively anorexic or bulimic, but many suffer from both diseases at the same time. The disease is often complicated by severe weakening of the physical condition, and nutritional deficiency diseases. The prevalence of the disease is increasing, and it has been documented that every third patient suffering from eating disorders in the United States dies as a result of the condition.
Persons who are predisposed to developing anorexia increase their risk of developing an eating disorder if they are involved in sports that typically require a low body weight, if they smoke, if they have a high consumption of alcohol, if they are depressed, or ir they have been exposed to sexual assaults.
From the view of the traditional medical system, the disease is considered a modern lifestyle disease with a primarily psychological origin. Anorexics are therefore given psychiatric treatment with behavioural adjustments in relation to food and eating.
Another hypothesis is that the disease is a manifestation of a wish to subject oneself to a modern female ideal, and that women starve themselves to live up to the standards of this ideal.
Anorexia and zinc
As early as in the 1930s, scientists discovered - through experiments with animals - that loss of appetite and anorexia could be caused by zinc deficiency, and that anorexic rats could be treated with a growth hormone with a high content of zinc. In many cases the rats were cured.
In 1978 scientific investigations documented that decreased consumption of zinc over a period of 6 months led to falling plasma concentrations of zinc, which could result in anorexic symptoms. In 1976 another investigation had shown a connection between zinc deficiency and mental disease.
The fact that zinc deficiency could be considered as the primary cause of anorexia has therefore been known since the late 1970s. The researchers D. Bryce-Smith and R.I.D. Simpson - using a simple and convincing method - were the first to document that anorexia could be treated with zinc supplements.
The results of the investigation were published in The Lancet, one of the most acknowledged and popular medical periodicals. Still, the result of these investigations has had no impact on the treatment of eating disorders. This is suprising since zinc deficiency is relatively easy to detect by use of a simple test.
Any kind of stress can increase the severity of the condition and make treatment impossible.
Anorexic patients are often overachievers, irritable, perfectionistic, and touchy. Any kind of stress can increase the severity of their mental and biochemical condition.
