Effects on your brain by Anorexia Nervosa?

Answer 1

It messes up the serotonin receptors in your brain that make most people feel happy and joy.

It also deprives the brain of ATP (energy), which gives the sufferer a similar mind as someone who is extremely sleep deprived or has the flu.

In addition, it makes the brain sensitive to things like caffeine.

Answer 2

Anoerxia Nervosa causes your brain to think you are fat. When really your not. It also makes you think that you are ablwe to eat and that if you do you will be fat.It makes you do bad things and is a dangerous disorder that can become fatal

Answer 3

Bulimia may affect the brain in several ways and on several levels.

On the physiological level brain function may be impaired as the sufferer doesn't have enough glucose, lipids or other molecules that can be broken down for energy. As such the sufferer may be lethargic or confused. In chronic sufferers the brain may shrink as a result of the proteins in the brain being broken down for energy. This can result in serious brain damage. There may also be other effects caused by imbalances in important electrolytes.

On the Psychological level the brain is damaged by abnormal thinking patterns as the individual believes that they are overwieght when they are clearly severly underwieght. Ther is also a fear of putting on weight.

In short it is very unhealthy for the brain.

Answer 4

Too little glucose (found in carbohydrates) can cause the brain to slow down, shrink, and cause a lack of memory. The brain is an organ just like all the organs in the body, so without energy (carbs), it cannot run, and eventually without carbohydrates or any calories in the body, the functioning of the brain will slow so severely that it can cause seizures and strokes.

Answer 5

Anorexia can affect the body and mind in a spider web of ways.

In a nutshell;- at my lowest of 85lb at 5ft 4, my BMI was 14.6 and I couldn't even dress myself stood up; resulting in a daily morning struggle of putting on my clothes laying on my back on my bed. My eyes were dull, my cheeks were sunken, I couldn't smile without stretch marks forming and I had lost my pretty face I once sported. My skin was also loose around my thighs and arms. That wasn't my only hurdle. Studying for my A-Levels despite my intelligence was a big ordeal because I was bombarded constantly with anorexia thoughts; may it be calories, how far I needed to walk that day or the next meal I would be eating, and how many grams of each vegetable I would have. I faded farther away from my circle of friends and family, I just couldn't seem to bond or socialise any more - a massive contrast to my once chatty, socialistic persona.

Now I'm recovering and enjoying life with my friends and family again; I'm even enjoying the meals I used to love so much that my mum made but thought I'd never eat again. Surprisingly, I'm wanting to gain a bit of weight to look a size 6 again (currently UK size 4) because I aim to look how I was, perhaps even find a boyfriend again!

If anybody who reads this is in a similar situation, the best thing to do is to tell somebody. I found it hard - but a spontaneous decision to do so, which I only regretted on the spot for about 30 seconds, turned my life around and now I know I'll see past my 17th birthday, go to University and graduate and actually live, where as before I thought I'd never make it past Christmas.

Answer 6

Anorexia can have a very negative effect on the brain. Without proper nutirtion, the brain literally starves. There is risk of brain cells dying (new one will not regenerate, either), and potential for problems like aching eyesight, headaches, dizziness, fatugue, fainting, and blacking out. In young children, poor nutrition cause by anorexia can lead to permanently stunted brain growth.

Answer 7

The brain needs 1400 calories a day to sustain normal life as far as the most major organs go.

When you eat you trigger a response to the brain to create specific chemicals and enzymes to break that food down for you to digest and absorb into calories, acids and other needed things. (Also waste).

When you remove this before the body has a chance to break it down (usually around 2-4 hours) (Most people remove food within 20 minutes)

So once you do this the brain does not recognise that you have removed the food and keep producing Hydrochloric acid HCL and Pepsin (stomach acid)

This can cause the stomach and upper GI system to form Ulcers and some other issues. (A little less serious)

To the brain this causes a massive reduction in many key chemicals. The most common would be:

Serotoninphenylethylamine

Dopamine

Making the brain sense that it has food is fine, but when you deprave it of such needed energy to create the 10s-20s of chemicals needed/produced and not to mention just doing its daily work.. You could go cataboloic, psychotic, end up with severe GI tract Issues.

I'm sure there's more but this was a decent, but quick answer.

Answer 8

It makes people very sick and not very nice :(