Basic Eating Disorders With Potentially Fatal Consequences

Eating healthily and incorporating a balanced diet plays a significant part in our well being, however owing to today's fast pasted lifestyle some individuals can find themselves developing issues with their appearance which may prevent or hinder a good diet.

Through peer pressure and possible influences from outside sources a basic eating disorder can begin to manifest its self, the severity of the disorder can vary and change dramatically in each individual.

If you suspect someone you know is possibly the victim of an eating disorder it's paramount to try and guide that person to seek professional help.

Generally the first or most common disorder is anorexia, in basic terms this is where someone who is concerned with weight just refuses to eat.

In the early stages a sufferer of anorexia will usually have issues with their appearance and eat less in an attempt to lose weight, tricks that will likely be used include making meals look smaller by cutting them in into tiny pieces, repeatedly chewing food to give others the impression that they are eating if in company, or worst of all not eat at all.

The health of a sufferer is greatly at risk as weight is not lost in a safe and controlled manner.

Reducing the fat intake in a diet is OK however forging other required nutrients causes the body to lose muscle weight and ultimately is placed in a weakened state which in the worst cases could prove fatal.

The second eating disorder that causes significant concerns is a condition called bulimia.

With an anorexic sufferer you will likely notice significant weight loss over a short period of time however with bulimia the sufferer may in fact not lose weight at all.

Should an individual have bulimia, they may find that they don't have the will power to reduce the amount of food consumed, and will adopt the use of laxatives or self induced vomiting to rid the body of food.

Similar to anorexia this depletes the body vital nutritious elements, but further issues and conditions can occur from repeated and continued self induced vomiting in the throat, mouth and digestive system.

Another common condition is binge eating, this could be described as a hybrid of anorexia and bulimia, with cases of binge eating, similar to the bulimic sufferer they will not deprive themselves of food but will likely go the opposite way and eat considerable portions which probably contains vast amounts of junk or processed foods which carry low nutritional values.

Rather than inducing vomiting this person may not eat again for several hours maybe even days, but when the urge returns binge again.

This also carries significant issues in respect of weight control and overall health.

Basic eating disorders can affect anybody at any time however the most common victims are young teenage girls.

Eating disorders can be very serious if the appropriate treatment is not sought, with the worst of cases resulting in premature death.

By Steven A Wright