Holistic Health Articles and Research Related to Herbal Medicines, Foods and Phytochemicals : Eating Disorders: Bulimia nervosa

Sunday, 1 December 2013

Eating Disorders: Bulimia nervosa - Diet and nutritional supplements

Bulimia nervosa is defined as a medical condition of consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time or one setting (binge eating), followed by self induced vomiting, taking a laxative or diuretic and/or excessive exercise, etc. to compensate for the binge. Bulimia nervosa also effects almost 90% of female. Unlike anorexia nervosa, people suffering from bulimia nervosa are usually normal or slightly over weight.
Diet and nutritional supplements to prevent anorexia nervosa

The aim of the diet and nutritional supplements is to provide enough nutrients as for people with anorexia nervosa are more likely to have vitamin and mineral deficiencies which can lead to certain symptoms of the diseases.
1. Caffeine
Caffeine intake increased over time between ages 9 and 19 years across all groups and this trend was not moderated by diagnostic status. For anorexia nervosa, relative to the non-eating disorder group, the proportional intake of caffeine from soda increased significantly before onset to onset to after onset and ingestion of chocolate-containing foods decreased sharply over time(42).

2. Alcohol
While the rate of anorexia was not elevated in alcoholics after controlling for other disorders, bulimia did occur at a greater than expected rate. However, both eating disorders were relatively rare, and much of the association with alcoholism occurred in the context of additional preexisting or secondary psychiatric disorders(43).

3. Tobacco
Although malnutrition may be expected to reduce DNA methylation through its effects on one-carbon metabolism, our negative results are in line with several in vitro and clinical studies that did not show a direct relation between gene-specific DNA methylation and folate levels. In contrast, smoking has been repeatedly reported to alter DNA methylation of specific genes and should be controlled for in future epigenetic studies(44)
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4. Drink 6 - 8 glasses of filtered water daily as water can decrease the risk of dehydration.
Caffeine, water, and aspartame consumption can be variable in patients with AN and the consumption of these substances seems to be only modestly related to purging behavior(45).

5. Promote healthy diet for maximum nutrients absorption.
6. The important of nutritional supplements
Some researchers suggested that conservation mechanisms resulting from starvation and/or self-prescribed nutrient supplements can result in laboratory values that appear within normal limits. These artificially inflated values drop to dangerous levels in some patients once rehydration and refeeding begin. Electrolyte status must be closely monitored during this time to prevent complications. Other micronutrient deficiencies can be corrected with adequate dietary intake, but patients with eating disorders are unlikely to consume such an adequate diet immediately upon entering treatment, so they may benefit from supplementation. Depleted nutrient stores require longer supplementation than acute inadequacies in nutrient intake. This review compiles the findings reported to date regarding micronutrient deficiencies and supplementation for patients with anorexia and bulimia. Because of the widely varying eating practices from patient to patient and the current lack of data controlling for nutrient self-supplementation, nutrition assessment performed by a nutrition professional via food intake history may be more practical than laboratory tests and more accurate than current food intake for determining potential micronutrient deficiencies(46).
a.. In the study of 20 female patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and in 10 lean and 10 normal weight, healthy, female control subjects. Patients with AN had higher activities of L-gamma-glutamyl transferase (gamma-GT) and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) and a higher concentration of prealbumin in serum and lower leucocyte and lymphocyte counts in blood. For the other routine clinical chemical parameters no significant differences between the groups were observed. AN patients had higher serum vitamin B12 and retinol levels. No significant differences were found for the status parameters of thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, vitamin E and vitamin D. Contradictory results were obtained for the riboflavin status: AN patients had a lower level of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) in blood and a lower stimulation ratio of the glutathione reductase activity in erythrocytes (alpha-EGR). Patients with AN had higher serum ferritin concentration and lower total iron binding capacity (TIBC). However, haemoglobin (Hb), haematocrit (Ht) and iron saturation were not significantly different. No significant difference was found in the concentration of zinc in plasma. In spite of the poor intake of nutrients and energy, the results obtained did not indicate an inadequate status of vitamins, iron and zinc in patients with AN(47).

b. Other study of trace metals, vitamins, and other biochemical parameters in 30 female patients hospitalized for anorexia nervosa, showed that Anorexia nervosa patients showed hypogeusia, with the bitter and sour taste most severely affected, however plasma zinc levels did not correlate with taste recognition scores. Patients showed hypercarotenemia (214 +/- 129 microgram/100 ml; P < 0.01) with normal plasma vitamin A and retinol-binding protein levels. Total iron binding capacity was depressed (261 +/- 62 microgram/100 ml; P < 0.001) in contrast to plasma iron, ceruloplasmin and folic acid, which were normal. In nine patients, who were retested before discharge, taste function improved; plasma zinc, copper, and total iron binding capacity levels increased whereas plasma carotene and cholesterol decreased to normal levels. It is concluded that the observed zinc, copper, and iron binding protein deficiencies, and hypogeusia, reflect the self-imposed nutritional restriction of anorexia nervosa patients. Zinc and other micronutrients released from catabolized tissue along with vitamin intake may mitigate against more severe deficiency states in anorexia nervosa(48).
A daily multivitamin is an essential, as it contain numbers of vitamins and trace minerals such as vitamins A, C, E, the B-vitamins, magnesium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, copper, and selenium which are essential for the body needed. Other supplement include Omega-3 fatty acids, Coenzyme Q10, 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), Creatine, Probiotic supplement, etc.