Where Did My Appetite Go? -- Loss of Appetite, causes, and possible solutions

Have you gone a day or two without eating just because you didn’t feel like it? It’s probably three days since you last had a decent meal so you try to force yourself, 30minutes later you realize you’re playing with your spoon or admiring your plates…. Well, my friend, you might be suffering from loss of appetite.

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The sudden reduction in the desire to eat is often temporary and irreversible; it is not considered a medical issue until an individual refuses to eat for a long period of time, this could be known as anorexia.

Loss of Appetite could be caused by various reasons, I will be discussing two:

1) Psychological reasons
2) Medical issues

PSYCHOLOGICAL CAUSES

• Anxiety:

This refers to feeling uneasy; being worried or scared. Everyone gets anxious at a particular point in their life. You could be worried about sitting an exam or getting results of a medical test or job interview and that perfectly normal. People react to anxiety in different ways, while some people overfeed to distract themselves, others lose their appetite. The cause of this could be attributed to serotonin - a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and plays a role in both anxiety and the feeling of hunger. Usually, Serotonic balance issues usually occur in the system of people with anxiety and could be one of the reasons these people lose appetite. There are other hormones related to anxiety and hunger and even though you are hungry, they could be telling your brain that you do not need to eatAlso, combinations of mental factors are at play as well. With too much on their minds, people with anxiety can easily careless about eating, and if you don't respond to your body when you're hungry, your body stops telling you you're hungry.

• Depression: Just like in the case of anxiety, some people eat more when depressed while others lose appetite. Clinical depression is often characterized by feeling of sadness and severe dejection which could be accompanied by low self-esteem, irritation towards everyone, guilt and loss of appetite. Along with the loss of interest in food, interest in other activities you enjoyed doing may be lost too. I had to deal with depression a couple of times, I woke up with some morning with gnawing hunger pains but when I see flavoured foods or pretty much anything makes me feel even more nauseous. As their depression worsens, they may fall even further into an unhealthy diet. Additionally, lack of proper nutrition may enhance your depression symptoms, further propelling the downward spiral.

• Stress:

From the other two discussed above, we have seen that the body and mind are connected; it makes sense that if you are stressed that your body will be affected. Stress experiences can be emotionally or physiologically challenging. You might have experienced it in the midst of an interpersonal conflict, loss of loved ones, unemployment, food deprivation, illness, problems at work, you lost your appetite because of the stress. Studies show that short-term stress tends to make us eat less. For the chemical explanation, the body creates more the same type of adrenaline rush that is activated during life-or-death situations, which flows into the body; this increases our cortisol levels. Kimbre Zahn, M.D., explained this fight-or-flight response causes the brain to produce appetite-suppressing hormones. It puts eating on hold, in a sense, so that your body can focus on survival. Individuals with persistent stress or those stricken by generalized anxiety have additional possibility to own chronic elevations of those hormones, leading to prolonged appetite suppression.

Medical Issues

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Some of the medical causes of appetite loss include the following:

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), is a long-term gastrointestinal problem that causes episodes of belly pain, cramping or bloating, and diarrhea or constipation. Since eating often worsens some of the symptoms, people with IBS naturally have no desire to eat. The cause of IBS is unclear but it is said that people who have had a traumatic experience are at a high risk of developing it.

• Another thing that can result in loss of appetite is B12 or Iron Deficiency Anemia. This occurs when Iron's levels are too low to allow sufficient production of red blood cells. Anemia caused by iron deficiency can cause dizziness, extreme fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath, loss of appetite (especially among children) amongst others.

• Anorexia: Anorexia is an eating disorder that is characterized by loss of appetite. Also, excessive exercise, eating high calorie-resistant diets, using laxatives probably due to fear of gaining weight can be responsible for anorexia.

• Cancer and Side Effects of its Treatment: I believe we have a fair knowledge of different parts cancer can occur in the body. Cancer concentrated in the pancreas; colon, ovaries, and stomach mostly result in loss of appetite. Cancer patients sometimes grow tumors and it could interfere with their feelings of hunger. They also go through altered sense of taste and smell which can distort appetite.

• HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus can also be a cause of loss of appetite. Opportunistic infections like candidiasis and cryptosporidiosis could make you not to feel hungry; they use the advantage of your body's low immunity to act.

• Jaundice and Liver Problem: Liver failure could be described as the liver losing its ability to carry out its functions like bile formation and secretion, processing of healthy nutrients, elimination of toxins and production of products necessary for blood clotting. The early stage of liver failure and liver disease are marked with loss of appetite which is attributed to the presence of tumor necrosis factor (cytokines), or alcohol-induced anorexia alongside fatigue, nausea, and diarrhea.

TREATMENTS AND CURE

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There is no panacea for treating loss of appetite. rather, it is treated using various methods, in relation to the cause. Below are some of the ways you could get back to consuming that bowl of cereal in no time:

• Exercising.
  Some of the causes like IBS, Anxiety, can be reduced by exercising. Exercise helps to ease some mental anxiety and lift your mood; making you more open to eating. HIV patients can do some strength building exercises like gentle weight lifting or resistance training.

• Therapy: Anorexia patients need certain therapies like cognitive analytic and behavioral therapy, Interpersonal therapy and others. Individuals with clinical depression also undergo therapy to help them feel better.

• For people with irritable bowel syndrome, things that stimulate the intestines like cola, tea or coffee should be reduced.

• B12 supplements and balanced diet that includes plenty of poultry, dairy, shellfish, and eggs are recommended for B12 deficient people.

• For people treating cancer, don’t try to eat big meals. Instead, have several mini meals throughout the day; also try adding healthy fats such as coconut oil, avocados and calorie-rich foods to your diet.

• Try not to skip breakfast.

Thank you.
@annieben.

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References

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