Introduction to Anorexia

Anorexia is a medical condition in which youngsters, mainly during the onset of puberty, begin to starve themselves thinking they are overweight, even though they are not. They remain under this illusion and as a result, they become extremely thin, bordering on ill health or sometimes death. Such people weigh 15% less than their normal weight.

Symptoms of Anorexia

- Problem with eating

- Weakness and anxiety

- Bones become brittle

- Pregnant women suffer miscarriages

- Irregularity in menstrual cycle, sometimes the cycle skips for 3 months and then resumes

- Irregular heartbeat

- Development of osteoporosis at later age

- Lack of normal body growth

- Fear of gaining weight borders on obsession

Causes of Anorexia

- 56% to 85% of anorexic cases are due to genetic factors.

- Changes in brain function like experiencing extreme mood swings leads to disturbance in serotonin system. This ignites the neurobiological imbalance.

- Lack of appropriate zinc in nutrition accelerates anorexia

- The psychological cause includes obsession with losing weight. They remain under the illusion of gaining weight almost by eating anything. Anorexic people often suffer from substance abuse, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, personality disorder, and complete lack of self esteem.

- Some become prey to anorexia due to social and economic factors. Some professions like ‘modeling’ demand that models be of size zero almost. Then there is the gender pressure towards females to maintain slim figure. Again, when celebrities endorse anorexic figures, common people try to emulate them and thus, endanger themselves.

However, good news is that it is completely curable. During the adolescent years, it is mandatory that parents and teachers keep check on children and students, and immediately report to the guardians if they display any anorexic symptoms. Lack of awareness is the main reason why people avoid the symptoms and causes. Just to fit in a particular social order or prevalent culture does not mean harming one’s heath.

Pinky Savika has been writing articles for more than 5 years. Not only does this author specialize on the subjects of health, diet, fitness and weight loss, you can also look at her latest articles about Anorexia Diet Tips which give you information about Anorexia, and Weight Loss which give you information about losing weight.