Secret Starvation
 Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder of self-starvation and
emaciation that leads to the loss of 15% to 60% of normal body weight.
People with anorexia usually lose weight by reducing their total food
intake and exercising excessively.
Many anorexics restrict their daily
intake to 1,000 calories or less. Most avoid fattening, high-calorie foods
and eliminate red meat or meat altogether. The diet of persons with
anorexia may consist almost completely of low-calorie vegetables.
People with anorexia nervosa have extreme anxiety about
being overweight, even if they are quite thin. Anorexia nervosa is the
third most common chronic illness in adolescent women and is estimated to
occur in 0.5% to 3% of all teenagers. Though it primarily affects teenage
girls, the incidence of anorexia has increased threefold in young adult
women over the past forty years. Although 90% of reported cases of
anorexia are in women, the rate in men appears to be increasing. Because
men are more likely to conceal eating disorders than are women, incidences
simply may be underreported
Common signs of anorexia:
- Preoccupation with food and weight
- Believing oneself is fat, even if very thin
- Nails and hair become brittle and skin becomes dry and yellow
- Depression
- Sensitivity to cold
- Development of long, fine hair on the body
- Loss of scalp hair
- Absent or irregular menstruation
- Development of strange eating habits such as cutting food into tiny
pieces, refusing to eat in front of others, or fixing elaborate meals
for others
- Constant exercising
Causes and complications of
anorexia 
Back
|
