Bulimia nervosa - What, when & why?

Introduction
Bulimia nervosa affects 1-2% of adolescent and young adult women worldwide. It is a type of eating disorder. A person with bulimia eats a lot of food in a short amount of time (binges) and then tries to prevent weight gain by getting rid of the food, called purging. A person with bulimia may also exercise a lot, eat very little or not at all, or take pills to pass urine to prevent weight gain.

What causes bulimia?
There is no single known cause of bulimia, but there are some factors that may play a part such as:
Culture: In today‘s society, women are under constant pressure to fit a certain ideal of beauty. Seeing images of flawless, thin females everywhere makes it hard for women to feel good about their bodies. Men are also feeling pressure to have a perfect body.

Families: If bulimia runs in your family, you are more likely to have bulimia.

Life changes or stressful events: Bulimia can also be triggered by “traumatic events like rape, as well as stressful things like starting a new job, can lead to bulimia. Bulimia nervosa can also develop from a strict diet.

Personality traits: People with bulimia show signs of low self-esteem, and sometimes feel hopelessness. This person may be very moody, and have a hard time controlling impulsive behaviors.

Biology: Genes, hormones, and chemicals in the brain can also play an important role.

Who is at risk?
Many people think that eating disorders affect only young, upper-class White females. According to an estimate, approximately 80% of bulimia nervosa patients are female.

How would you know if you have bulimia nervosa?
People struggling with bulimia nervosa will often appear to be of average body weight. If you have bulimia Nervosa, you will have four main symptoms:

Binging or binge eating: Binging is an intake of large amounts of food accompanied by a sense of loss of control over eating behavior
Purging: Following a binge, an individual may feel consumed with fear, guilt or shame and the need to try to undo his/her behavior. Purging is a way to compensate for binging.
Duration: Binging and Purging occurs more than 2 x a week for at least 3 months
Altered body image: your own self evaluation and self esteem is overly influenced by weight & shape. In bulimia, there is an intense connection between self respect and the way the body looks.

Finally, a person with bulimia nervosa will appear to be thin, overweight, or of average weight. You may also feel the need for going to the bathroom all the time after eating to throw up. You may also feel the need for exercising a lot, even in bad weather or when hurt or tired. You may also show some other signs like:
• Swollen cheeks or jaw area
• Calluses or scrapes on knuckles (if using fingers to induce vomiting)
• Teeth that look clear
• Broken blood vessels in the eyes

What bulimia nervosa could lead to?
Bulimia nervosa can be extremely harmful to the body. The recurrent binge-and-purge cycles can impact the entire digestive system and purge behaviors can lead to electrolyte and chemical imbalances in the body that affect the heart and other major organ functions. Bulimia nervosa is frequently associated with symptoms of depression and changes in social adjustment.

Other health consequences of Bulimia Nervosa include:
• Electrolyte imbalances that can lead to irregular heartbeats and possibly heart failure and death. Electrolyte imbalance is caused by dehydration and loss of potassium and sodium from the body as a result of purging behaviors
• Inflammation and possible rupture of the esophagus from frequent vomiting
• Tooth decay and staining from stomach acids released during frequent vomiting.
• Chronic irregular bowel movements and constipation as a result of laxative abuse
• Gastric rupture is an uncommon but possible side effect of binge eating

What can you do if you have bulimia nervosa?
In addition to following your doctor’s advice, you may find that making practical changes in your life can help you to break out of the binge-purge cycle.

Socialize: If you live alone, think about sharing with friends or relatives for a while.

Watch for your meals: If you find that you are likely to binge after eating a normal evening meal, try washing-up straight away and throwing away all leftovers. This will remove some of the immediate reminders about food and will also keep you busy for those difficult first minutes after eating.

Control your urge: If you often decide to binge during the day and buy food at lunchtime or on the way home from work, try taking only a very small amount of cash with you and leaving all other means of getting money at home.

Related Links

• Using Prescription Medications to Treat Obesity
• Risk Factors of Obesity - Are You At Risk?
• Definition of Obesity
• Using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) to Measure Body Fat
• Analyzing Body Fat with Anthropometric Methods