Since the adolescence is the age where bones are
sprout and grow rapidly, well nourished food must be
given to the adolescent to facilitate normal growth &
development. The nutritional intake must be monitored
regularly and modified depending upon the growing needs.
Teenagers tend to develop eating disorders which affect
their nutritional health. The eating behavior must be
corrected as early as possible as it can lead to the
development of complex illnesses. Eating disorder is the
third common chronic illness, especially in adolescent
females and the number has been increasing rapidly from
the past thirty years.
There are two subcategories of eating disorders,
anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa
is the restrictive form, where the intake of food is
limited severely. In bulimia nervosa is the eating
disorder where the adolescent binges on food and then
tries to minimize the effects by forcibly vomiting,
fasting, and catharsis or over exercising. When handling
adolescence eating disorders, they must be handled
differently from adult eating disorders. Adolescents
face problems such as growth retardation, suppressed
height, abnormal weight, pubertal delay, menstrual
periods absence, and menses unpredictability. When the
adolescent is growing there will be critical tissue
components loss like loss of body fat, muscle mass and
bone mineral.
Nutritional imbalance is also caused which reflect
abnormalities in the levels of vitamins, mineral and
other trace elements. The problem is that these
abnormalities cannot be recognized clinically. But since
protein and calories are essential to the growth of the
adolescent, it is important to trace their
abnormalities. Because of the problems, healthy
adulthood is not a possible thing. Because of all these
reasons, it is important to diagnose adolescence eating
disorders as early as possible. Eating disorders give
rise to peak bone mass impaired acquisition in case of
adolescents. When they turn into adults, this problem
aggravates to osteoporosis. Even internal organs get
affected due to eating disorders. All this can be
prevented by early intervention so as to limit, prevent
and ameliorate medical complications, which can turn
become life threatening.
Adolescents who practice unhealthy weight control
practices and are obsessive about figure, weight, food
or exercise should be treated clinically. Not only
should the symptoms be checked, but their duration,
intensity and frequency should also be checked. Although
most of the physical complications caused due to eating
disorders get solved with the help of nutritional
rehabilitation some of the conditions become
irreversible and the long term consequences of this are
very dangerous. It is best if the eating disorders are
recognized in the early stages as it won’t result in
irreparable damage. The medical monitoring should be
pursued till the adolescent returns back to appropriate
psychological and medical health.
Eating disorders not only result in physical
abnormalities, but also psychological abnormalities.
Adolescents with eating disorders take onto social
isolation, low self esteem, affective disorders, low
self concept, substance abuse, anxiety, and depression.
Usually adolescents switch to unhealthy eating habits
because of depression and lack of knowledge about
affective techniques to lose weight. So the patients who
are being treated for eating disorders must also be
treated for psychiatric illness, if they have any. Even
if the habits doesn’t fit the strict criteria,
adolescents who limit food intake, binge, vomit or purge
accompanied with or without harsh weight loss, should be
monitored because of the involvement of risk of even
death. Early treatment will have an improved outcome.
But the level of intervention in adolescents should be
less when compared to adults.
