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The University of Sydney has found a new approach for diagnosing anorexia patients and it could have significant influence on recovery and treatment options. The approach may also reduce the strain on the public health system, according to a recent online article. (more…)
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Eating disorders wreak havoc on the body in many ways. Bulimia, anorexia nervosa, and obesity strip the body of proper nutrients and kick hormones out of balance. But, not only can these disorders cause excessive weight gain or loss, but also a painful life-altering condition-infertility. (more…)
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There are many complications associated with anorexia nervosa. Individuals with the eating disorder often limit calories so severely that malnutrition affects their bodies, resulting in cardiovascular disorders and bone density problems. Bone density is especially a concern among young girls with anorexia, as their bodies are still in a stage of development. (more…)
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Many young girls who struggle with anorexia do so at a time critical for bone mass development. While adolescents are often able to recover from anorexia if they are admitted to an eating disorder treatment program, it is difficult to reverse some of the physical damage experienced, especially related to bone mass development. (more…)
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Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by the extreme limitation of calories. Those with the disorder often consume very few calories and prevent the absorption of calories through excessive exercise. Anorexia often results in serious health problems and has the highest mortality rate of any mental disorder.
One physical health problem that is associated with anorexia is low bone density, which occurs as a result of malnutrition. Low bone density can increase the chance of fractures. While teenage girls with the disease have been prescribed birth control pills in order to provide estrogen to rebuild bones, tests have not shown that the pills are effective.
Now a new study shows that estrogen delivered through a patch or as a low oral dose that resembles the natural production of estrogen in the body may be effective at improving low bone density. The results were presented by lead author Madhusmita Misra, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, at The Endocrine Society’s annual meeting.
Misra explained that a significant cause of low bone density is low levels of estrogen, which is a hormone that naturally occurs to prevent bone loss. This is the first time that a low dose of estrogen, mimicking the natural production of estrogen, has been tested in a research study.
The researchers recruited 110 female patients with anorexia nervosa and examined the effects of physiological estrogen replacement on bone accrual rates over an 18-month period. The participants were compared with 40 female controls that were at a healthy weight. All of the participants were between the ages of 12 and 18, which is an important time for building bone mass.
Girls with a diagnosis of anorexia were randomly assigned to receive a placebo or one of two types of estrogen. Girls with more mature bone density were given either a placebo or a full adult dose of estrogen. Girls with immature bones were given low doses of oral estrogen, measured to imitate natural levels.
The researchers used bone density scans to measure bone mineral density at the lumbar spine, hip and whole body. The physiological estrogen treatment resulted in a significant increase in bone density in the spine and hip, when compared with the placebo. However, the estrogen did not cause the girls to achieve the same bone density they would have had in the absence of anorexia. Girls with anorexia still had lower bone density levels than the girls who had a healthy weight history.
The scientists involved with the study believe that the use of estrogen, prescribed in a physiological dose, may be helpful in aiding girls in not only gaining weight, but rebuilding bone density.
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When conversations focus on eating disorders, the assumption is that such conditions affect only the middle- to upper- class, white, female teen. In reality, however, such assumptions can overlook other segments of the population that may be struggling with disease. (more…)
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College-aged women across the nation are going days without eating, and some have said they enjoy the way going without food feels. Among women in college, statistics say that around one-fourth keep their weight at a level they feel is acceptable by using dysfunctional eating cycles like binge eating and then purging the calories.
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Sometimes it takes a major tragedy to motivate someone to action, which is the case for Vince Withers, chairman of the Eating Disorder Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (EDFNL). The Canada-based foundation, featured in an article in The Beacon, focuses on leadership and advocacy toward eating disorders, including support for families and research for new treatments.
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Link Found between Anorexia Nervosa and IQ Levels
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Previous research has shown that adolescence is a key time of self-identification and comparison with others. Pre-teens and teens seem to be strongly affected by the appearances of their friends and making mental note of how they measure up. A time of physical evaluation combined with a surge of new hormones make adolescence a prime window for eating disorders to surface.
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