How do eating disorders affect your body?

Learn how eating disorders affect teen bodies and explore practical strategies for managing their severe health impacts.

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  • Suitable for members aged 12-17
  • 4 minute read
  • 780 words (2 sides of A4)
  • Providing help and guidance on Eating disorders and Mental Health
  • Created and reviewed by our team of experts

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Understanding Eating Disorders and Their Impact on Your Body

Eating disorders are serious and complex mental health conditions that significantly affect an individual's eating habits and behaviours. Among the most common types are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder. Understanding the physical consequences of these disorders is crucial, especially for teenagers, whose bodies and minds are still developing.

What Are Eating Disorders?

Eating disorders involve extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviours surrounding weight and food issues. They are not just about food but often stem from a combination of long-standing behavioural, biological, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, and social factors. Teens might start focusing excessively on their body image due to societal pressure, personal stress, or other underlying psychological issues, which can lead to developing an eating disorder.

Physical Health Effects

Eating disorders can damage nearly every organ system in the body, and the effects can be severe if the disorders go untreated for a long period. Here are several ways that these conditions can impact the physical health of a young person:

1. Effects on the Cardiovascular System

How do eating disorders affect your body?
  • Irregular Heart Rates: Abnormal eating behaviours can lead to a slowed heart rate and low blood pressure, which significantly increases the risk of heart failure.
  • Poor Circulation: This leads to consistent feelings of cold or experiencing numbness in extremities.

2. Impact on the Gastrointestinal System

  • Constipation and Bloating: Irregular food habits can disrupt normal digestive functions, leading to discomfort and intestinal issues.
  • Oesophageal Damage: Frequent vomiting can cause the oesophagus to become inflamed and sore, and can lead to severe issues like tears or rupture.

3. Effects on the Endocrine and Reproductive Systems

  • Hormonal Imbalances: Malnutrition can lead to disruptions in hormonal activity, including impairing growth and development in teens.
  • Amenorrhea: Females might experience missed or irregular periods, which can affect reproductive health significantly.

4. Bone Density and Muscle Loss

  • Reduced calorie intake can lead to muscle wasting and weakened bones, increasing the risk of fractures.

5. Psychological Impact

While the focus is often on the physical aspects, the psychological impact is equally harmful. Teens with eating disorders may experience increased levels of anxiety, depression, and isolation, which can perpetuate the cycle of unhealthy eating behaviours.

Practical Strategies for Managing and Overcoming Eating Disorders

Dealing with an eating disorder requires a comprehensive approach that includes medical, psychological, and nutritional interventions. Here are some practical strategies for teens:

1. Seek Professional Help

The first step in dealing with an eating disorder is acknowledging the problem and seeking help. This can involve talking to a healthcare provider who specialises in eating disorders, a nutritionist, or a therapist.

2. Nutritional Rehabilitation

Working with a nutritionist can help establish a balanced diet that includes adequate nutrients to help restore normal bodily functions and promote recovery.

3. Therapy

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and other forms of psychotherapy can be very effective in treating eating disorders. They focus on changing the unhealthy eating behaviours and thought patterns associated with them.

4. Support Systems

Having a robust support system is vital. Support can come from family, friends, or support groups where experiences are shared, and coping strategies are discussed.

5. Healthy Lifestyle Changes

Incorporate regular physical activity into your routine, which is not focused on burning calories but rather on strengthening your body and improving your mood.

Wrapping Up

Eating disorders are complex and can inflict significant harm on both the body and mind. However, with the right approaches and support, recovery is achievable. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, it's important to seek help from professionals who can provide the necessary care and guidance.

How are you feeling?

It is really important that when we need help, we feel able to ask for it. This could be speaking to a parent, a close friend, a teacher or someone else you trust. Sometimes it can be really hard to share our feelings with other people but if we are feeling low or don't know where to turn, sharing with others is really important. Teachers will always take you seriously and listen to your problems in confidence if you approach them for help. Likewise, parents, siblings or friends will help you if you reach out to them.

If you feel like you can't speak to anyone you know, there are people and organisations that can help support you:

  • Childline - Call them on 0800 1111 any time of the day or night, every day of the week
  • NSPCC - Call them on 0808 800 5000 between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday or email them on help@NSPCC.org.uk
  • The Samaritans – Call them on 116 123 any time of the day or night, every day of the week
  • SANE – Call 0300 304 7000 for support (4:30pm - 10:30pm every day)
  • Mind – Call 0300 123 3393 (9:00am - 6:00pm Monday to Friday)

*Sometimes we will use real life examples in our articles to aid understanding. When we do, names and ages will be changed.