The Effects of Eating Disorder

Effects of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are serious medical illnesses. They often go along with other problems such as stress, anxiety, depression, and substance use. Eating disorders can lead to the development of serious physical health problems, such as heart conditions or kidney failure.
Someone whose body weight is at least 15% less than the average weight for that person's height may not have enough body fat to keep organs and other body parts healthy. In severe cases, eating disorders can lead to severe malnutrition and even death.
With anorexia, the body goes into starvation mode, and the lack of nutrition can affect the body in many ways: * a drop in blood pressure, pulse, and breathing rate * hair loss and fingernail breakage * loss of periods * lanugo hair — a soft hair that can grow all over the skin * lightheadedness and inability to concentrate * anemia * swollen joints * brittle bones
With bulimia, constant vomiting and lack of nutrients can cause these problems: * constant stomach pain * damage to the stomach and kidneys * tooth decay (from exposure to stomach acids) * "chipmunk cheeks," when the salivary glands permanently expand from throwing up so often * loss of periods * loss of the mineral potassium (this can contribute to heart problems and even death)
A person with binge eating disorder who gains a lot of weight is at risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and some of the other diseases associated with being overweight.
The emotional pain of an eating disorder can take its toll, too. When someone becomes obsessed with weight, it's hard to concentrate on much else. It can be exhausting and overwhelming to monitor food intake and exercise, and be in a constant state of stress about food and how your body looks. It's easy to see why when you develop an eating disorder you could become withdrawn and less social. It gets too hard to join in on snacks and meals with friends or families, or too hard to stop the addictive exercising or working out to have fun.
Having an eating disorder also can use up a lot of mental energy planning what to eat, how to avoid food, planning a binge, getting money to buy food or laxatives or other medications, making up reasons to use the bathroom after meals, or figuring out how to tell people around you that you want to be alone after a meal.

The effects of eating disorders?
Eating disorders may result in physical damage. Left untreated, they may even be life threatening.
Individuals with anorexia can damage their heart, liver and kidneys due to not eating enough.
Physical effects may include: * swollen joints * Brittle bones/osteoporosis (risk to bone fractures) * Seizures do to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) * Brain tissue loss (memory and attention altered) * Hormone shifts (loss of fertility) * hair can fall out and fingernails break off * Drop in core body temperature * soft hair called lanugo grows all over the skin (attempt of body to keep warm) * cessation of menstrual periods * abdominal pain/cramping * irregular bowel patterns * severe malnutrition * increased risk of cardiac problems * death due to medical complications (ex: sudden cardiac arrest)
Physical issues associated with bulimia may include: * lesions and/or perforations of the esophagus * damage to the stomach and kidneys due to vomiting * damage to the intestinal tract and kidneys from habitual laxative use * constipation and bowel paralysis from laxative abuse * tooth decay due to the acids that come up into the mouth while vomiting * cessation of menstrual periods (risk to osteoporosis) * loss of the potassium which can contribute to heart problems and death
Individuals with Binge Eating Disorder/Compulsive Overeating may often be significantly overweight because of the amount of food eaten. Physical difficulties include: * menstrual irregularities * diabetes * high blood pressure * high cholesterol * osteoarthritis * decreased mobility * shortness of breath * heart disease * liver and kidney problems * cardiac arrest and/or death
There are also emotional difficulties that result from living with an eating disorder. Because of the secretive nature of the illness, individuals may: * become withdrawn and less social * experience severe mood swings * have trouble with sleep disturbance * experience feelings of guilt * feel depressed or suicidal
Also, while eating disorders frequently begin as a way of alleviating anxiety and feeling more in control, the obsessive nature of rituals around food and eating or not eating may increase anxiety levels and feelings of being out of control.

5 Physical Effects of Eating Disorders

Many people, when they hear the term “eating disorder”, will think about the negative social effects that the disorders may bring about. For a teenage girl in high school, an eating disorder can force social withdrawal or depressive symptoms, just to name a few negative mental effects.

For more serious cases of eating disorders, however, severe bodily damage may occur. The truth is, an eating disorder can take a toll on the young body, causing health problems that almost never occur in normal, healthy youth. Some cases may be more serious than others, but one thing is for sure: the dangers of an eating disorder are well documented.

Here are 5 physicial effects of eating disorders:

1. Malnutrition
The most obvious danger of eating disorders is malnutrition, or deficiency for energy, protein, and micronutrients such as vitamins, iodine, or iron. Malnutrition is caused by a lack of calories and corrent nutrient in the daily diet, usually a result of improper eating, or intentional starving. When all the nutrients in your body are used up, malnutrition is reached. Malnutrition can lead to the exhaustion of other bodily nutrients — leading to damaged hair or weakened bones.

2. Heart Attack
Youth suffering from eating disorders may in fact have a heart attack! Eating disorders can cause electrolytic imbalances, triggering hypercalcemia or hyperkalemia, the main causes of heart attacks. The electrolytic imbalances can cause abnormalities that lead to serious side effects – heart disease included.

3. Dehydration
Dehydration is caused by the depletion or lack of fluid intake in the body. Vomiting or laxative abuse can cause dehydration, and can cause dizziness and weakness. Dehydration can lead to kidney failure, heart failure, brain damage, and even death.

4. Amenorrhea
Amenorrhea is the loss of menstrual cycle, or periods, in women. A low body mass index and low body fat levels disable the body’s ability to menstrual. Amenorrhea can cause a loss of calcium from the bones, loss of bone density and the loss of the ability to have children.

5. Hyponatremia
Hyponatremia is the deficiency of sodium in the blood. If one drinks too much water (and not electrolytes), especially if someone is already malnourished or dehydrated, can cause fluid in the lungs, nausea, vomiting, and even death.
As you can see, the negative health effects of eating disorders can be very severe and even fatal. In addition to the 5 listed above, there are many other negative health effects, including diabetes, insomnia, and anemia. The list goes on and one. For many suffering from eating disorders, the scope of physical damage is lost in their obsession with their weight and appearance. If you know somebody suffering from an eating disorder, or suspect that he or she may be suffering from an eating disorder, do something about it. Showing you care may make a bigger impact on their health than you could ever imagine.

Effects of eating disorders

Eating disorders can have various effects on the body depending on the disorder, your gender and the severity of the disorder.
An eating disorder can have ‘minor’ effects on your body such as stunted growth or fatigue but these are just symptoms of the more serious threats these disorder can cause.
Eating disorders don’t just affect the biological aspects of your body. They also affect your mind and psyche often in the form of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attacks and heightened anxiety.
There is also a lot of time the sufferer will spend thinking about food and calories, mostly planning there next meals (what to eat, what foods to avoid and calculating calories) or routines for the coming days or even weeks and meticulously sticking to the routine they have set for themselves to follow in order to reach their goal of their ‘ideal’ weight.
It doesn’t stop just there though. Sufferers can and will withdraw from social activities more and more as the disorder progresses particularly from events that involve the consumption of food fearing that there disorder can be discovered by others. This will lead to social isolation of the sufferer from their friends and families.
One of the most difficult things about eating disorders is that they invade every part of you – your thinking, your feelings, and your body. They can strangle the real you. One of the first tasks is to decide what is you and what is the eating disorder. The physical effects of an eating disorder lock you into a vicious cycle. This cycle can be difficult to break.
Physical Disability
Weakness associated with starvation/overeating or salt or hormonal imbalance may make you feel vulnerable and inadequate. You may see this as further evidence of ‘personal weakness’ and diet more. This starts a self-defeating vicious cycle.
Emotional Disturbances
Weight loss and focusing on controlling diets can lead to depression and irritability. You may try to deal with these ‘unacceptable’ aspects of yourself by increasing your disordered behaviours.
Effects on the Brain
The way your brain works is affected – concentration, attention, memory, learning and problem solving are affected. These effects may cloud your judgment and it may be difficult to have rational thoughts about your illness and other problems in general.
Effects on your Social Life
Your preoccupation with food limits your ability to socialise. You lose your interest in friendships and general activities. You lose your sense of humour. Friends may become bored and drift away. Unfortunately you will probably be tempted to deal with this by using your eating disorder.
Effect on your Digestive System
You may find that meals are highly distressing. Just the sight of certain foods may lead you into panic due to associating them with massive weight gain. Bloating or feeling full very quickly is partly due to a delay in emptying your stomach if you are restricting your diet. This is because the muscles from your abdominal wall will have been eaten away during starvation and therefore sags. Overeating and abuse of laxatives can overload your digestive system and make it inefficient and prone to problems
Changes in Body composition
With excessive weight loss you will lose bone, brain and muscle tissue. These losses are invisible to the naked eye but can be seen by special X-rays. It may be difficult to accept that you need to gain weight as your body still seems to be working. There are similar serious effects with excessive weight gain and weight fluctuations such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol and other serious diseases
Effects on the mind
Mood is lowered and you become depressed. The mind becomes preoccupied with food and there is often a strong urge to overeat. The ability and interest in forming and maintaining friendships is decreased and there is a feeling of being isolated from others. Concentration is poor and it is difficult to work to the best of your ability. Even minor problems seem huge and as if they can’t be solved.