Anorexia: Symptoms, Side Effects and What It Can Do To The Body đ©âââ
What do Angelina Jolie, Zayn Malik, and Florence Welch have in common? Aside from all being stunning and famous, each of these stars have dealt with anorexia â an eating disorder where people have an intense fear of gaining weight. * Say whatttttt *
In the movies, we often see anorexia as a thin, white womanâs disease, but anyone can be affected by it. Anorexia doesnât come with any body type requirements: itâs about a personâs mental state and how they see themselves.
That said, anorexia IS more prevalent in women, and itâs estimated that between 2-4% will experience it in their lifetime versus around 0.3% of men. We need more research here, but non-binary and gender non-comforming people seem to face a higher risk of eating disorders compared to cisgender folk.
For some, anorexia can feel like itâs crept up on themâstarting with behaviours they might think are healthy or positive that gradually become more restrictive. But there are signs to look out for, and here, weâve broken them down to help you clock whatâs going on inside your body. Check âem out!
What is anorexia? đ§
Anorexia is an eating disorder and mental health condition where people have a deep fear of gaining weight, so they do what they can to keep it as low as possible. This usually means restricting food intake but can also include behaviours like exercising too much or using laxatives.
People with anorexia can have a distorted perception of what their body looks like, and might not recognise or admit that their weight has dropped below a healthy level.
We donât know exactly what causes anorexia, but we do know some things can increase the risk of it happening. These include having a family history of eating disorders; being criticised for your eating habits, body shape, or weight; being overly concerned with being slim; or if you have anxiety, low self-esteem, or are a perfectionist.
Yep, that puts a lot of us at risk in this society where we still praise the illusion of perfection in our school examination systems, on social media and beyondâŠ
Types of anorexia
No two people will go through anorexia in the same way. I repeat: NO TWO PEOPLE WILL GO THROUGH ANOREXIA IN THE SAME WAY!
But if we get our big brush out and start painting people, we can say that experiences of the disease are categorised into two types. Doctors and researchers use these categories to better understand what people are going through and try to get them the right help.
Numero Uno: Restricting type
This is the best-known and most common type of anorexia, and describes people who lose weight by eating less food and exercising more.
Numero Dos: Binge eating/purging type
People in this group lose weight by purging after binge eating a big meal.
Over time, people can transition from restrictive behaviours to binging and purging as their condition progresses. Itâs not totally clear why this happens, but environmental factors such as what your family is like, or whether you have any other mental health conditions, are thought to contribute. Good to be aware of if you start to notice this shift. đââïž
Symptoms of anorexia
Recognising that someone has an eating disorder isnât easy. For one, they might not be aware theyâre going through it, and for another, the physical effects arenât *always* obvious right away.
Unfortunately, thereâs no simple way around thisâand because it can be tricky to spot the signs of an eating disorder, especially in the early stages, they can go unnoticed for some time.
But there are telltale signs that a doctor will look for!
Anorexia is a mental health condition, so your doctor will try to look for -surprise!- mental health symptoms when assessing you. Itâs true that anorexia usually comes with a drop below healthy body weight, but itâs our mental health (specifically, an intense fear of gaining weight) that causes this.
In other words: you canât diagnose anorexia just from someoneâs BMI.
And compared to bulimia, another eating disorder that involves binge eating and then purging, people with anorexia might see weight loss as something positive and in line with what they want, not something theyâre conflicted about.
Another key feature of anorexia is the sense of CONTROL that comes with restrictive behaviours. People with bulimia, on the other hand, are more likely to feel like theyâre losing control, especially during binge episodes.
Mental symptoms đ§
An intense fear of gaining weight. This is the defining symptom of anorexia, and the driving force behind behavioural and physical changes
Having a distorted body image. This might look like denial of being underweight or having a problem
Low self-esteem
Fixation on body weight and shape as being âproofâ of self-worth
An obsession with food and weight
Behavioural symptoms đ
Restricting food intake. People with anorexia commonly restrict their diet to vegetables, fruit, and dieting products, or skip meals entirely.
Becoming increasingly selective about food
Not eating with others or avoiding meals by saying that they arenât hungry
Repetitive weighing and measuring of the body, and looking at themselves in the mirror
Purging after eating (for people with binge eating type)
Overexercising (for people with restricting type). Around one third of people hospitalised for anorexia exercised excessively during the three months before they were admitted
Using appetite suppressant medication or other types that make you need to pee (diuretics)
Hiding weight loss
Physical symptoms đ§ââïž
If youâre a person who menstruates, anorexia can cause your periods to stop or become irregular
Hormonal imbalances
People with penises who have anorexia might experience a drop in libido and fertility
Dry skin
Hair loss
Loss of muscle strength
Swelling (oedema)
Low blood pressure
Having a heart rate thatâs too slow
Drop in body temperature (hypothermia)
Constipation
Fainting
Dizziness
Fatigue
Malnutritionâdeficiencies in vitamins and minerals
Dehydration
How does anorexia affect the body?
The physical changes caused by anorexia mostly come from disruptions to eating habits and the body not having enough nutrients as a result. But, the good news is that these effects can generally be reversed if we restore our weight to a healthy level.
Changes to the gut đ
The bacteria in our gut alwayssss be hustling. As well as breaking down the food we eat, they can communicate with and change the activity of our nervous systemâincluding how well our gut is able to communicate with our brain.
When our balance of gut bacteria is thrown off, which is known as dysbiosis, this can interfere with how well messages can pass from our gut to our brain. This can then have a knock-on effect on other systems and pathways within the body which influence our mood, immune system, and more.
Not getting enough nutrients can mess with our gutâs balance. Itâs thought that the type of anorexia someone has can cause dysbiosis in different ways but we need more research here to really understand this.
Dysbiosis from anorexia can damage our immune system and make our body less capable of breaking down the food we eat into energy. Itâs also been linked to depression and anxiety, abdominal pain and constipation.
I guess we better take care of our gut, people! đ„°
Changes to the brain đ§
Restrictive dieting can even cause changes to the brain. Malnutrition is linked to a reduction in grey and white matter in the brain, which play important roles in allowing the brain to communicate with the body, learning, and processing information.
This can affect our mood, ability to control speech, memory, cognitive skills, and more. Basically, all those things that allow us to function normally. đ
We still donât know exactly why this happens, but scientists think that nutrient deficiencies and dehydration can change the pressure in the brain, which then causes the shrinkage. And letâs be honest: nobody is here for that.
These changes are mostly reversible as a person restores their weight though. đ
Impact on the heart â€ïž
As the body adapts to starvation, our heart rate can become too slow â this is called bradycardia. A typical heart rate for an adult is around 60-100 bpm, but with bradycardia, your heart wonât go faster than 60 bpmâŠđź
This can make us faint, feel lightheaded, dizzy, and confused, and cause chest pain and difficulties breathing. Sometimes, a pacemaker can be recommended to regulate the heart rate.
Bradycardia can lead to heart failure in extreme cases â this happens when the heart canât pump blood through the body properly.
But, just like we said before, weight restoration can reverse these effects. đ
Hormones and the reproductive system đ§Ź
When the body is in a starvation state, it does its best to adapt by either tapping into or conserving its reserves of energy. This can cause changes to our hormone levels, which can then bring on a bunch of other changes. If any of you have seen Big Mouth, you know the power of hormones!
One of these is a resistance to growth hormone (GH), which means that less of it is absorbed and used by the body. GH helps to build bone and muscle, and having a resistance to it could mean that teenagers with anorexia are shorter than their peers. It can also contribute to the thinning of bones.
In people with wombs, an energy-deficit state can get in the way of how lutenising hormone (LH) is released by the brain, which plays a key role in the menstrual cycle. This then lowers our levels of oestrogen and testosterone, which can cause periods to stop.
Most people who are able to restore more than 90% of a healthy body weight and maintain it for 6-12 months will get their periods back though!
Getting help
Anorexia is a mental health condition, so itâs not really a surprise that therapy is generally recommended first if your condition isnât severe enough for inpatient treatment. And, if we can, letâs not wait for that to happen, honey!
Thereâs a specific type of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) thatâs focused on eating disorders that has been shown to be effective compared to other treatment types *and* to reduce the risk of relapse. CBT can help you to cope with your feelings and learn how to make healthy choices.
Other types of therapy that involve trying to understand whatâs causing your eating disorder may be an option too.
In most cases, therapy is given alongside supervised weight gain. This can be done via clinic visits or, for some people, stays in the hospital.
Deciding that you need help is the first and most important step in dealing with anorexia. The nature of anorexia, though, means that people going through it donât always recognise it as a problemâafter all, it can provide a sense of control and the feeling that theyâre doing something good for themselves.
But the sooner we seek help, the better â always!
I lovvvve you đ
