Eating disorders are a time bomb for the heart

Summary
According to nutritionist Marcella Garcez, eating disorders can lead to cardiovascular complications and the risk of death due to malnutrition and electrolyte imbalances.

Although many people don’t know it, eating disorders can kill – and some of these deaths are caused by cardiovascular complications.

“The relationship between eating disorders and heart health has been studied for years. The heart is severely affected by weight loss and malnutrition, so the more severe the disorder, the more likely a person is to have heart complications. Eating disorders involve complex issues, are affected and affect mental health, but have impacts on the entire organism”, explains nutritionist Marcella Garcez, director and professor at the Brazilian Association of Nutrology (ABRAN).

Common eating disorders include anorexia and bulimia, both involving obsession with weight and distorted body image.

“People with anorexia avoid or severely restrict food and may exercise relentlessly. People with bulimia often purge after binge eating, vomiting or using laxatives or diuretics. Some people with anorexia also eat compulsively”, says the doctor.

Other disorders

Two other more recently defined eating disorders are binge eating disorder and avoidant/restrictive eating disorder, which affect eating behaviors but do not include obsessions with body image. Furthermore, another problem with eating disorders is that, when in contact with food, the desire speaks louder, much more than the need to nourish the body.

“It is not uncommon for patients with eating disorders to have a dietary pattern that does not include healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and sources of fiber. Therefore, it is not uncommon for there to be a lack of nutrients”, he adds.

The nutritionist explains that eating disorders can cause changes in the heart that result in greater risks to cardiovascular health throughout life. It is as if they act like a time bomb, increasing the heart risk and, consequently, the risk of death.

“This is largely due to malnutrition in people with anorexia and electrolyte imbalances in people with bulimia. Problems range from decreased heart rate to heart failure. The eating disorder is quite serious if these things happen”, explains Marcella Garcez.

Heart suffers in different ways

Different eating disorders affect the heart differently. “In people with anorexia, malnutrition and weight loss can cause the heart muscle to shrink and the heart rate to slow, a condition known as bradycardia, in which the heart rate is less than 60 beats per minute at rest. Anorexia can also cause other abnormal heart rhythms”, explains the doctor.

“When a person of any body size restricts their food intake, they often develop a slow heart rate. This occurs because the body has slowed down its metabolism. Depending on the size of the restriction and the time, the heart atrophies. He slows down like a hibernating bear. And this can turn into dangerous rhythms.”

In 2023, an article in the Journal of Eating Disorders found that people with anorexia have the second highest mortality risk of all psychiatric conditions. A 2020 article in The British Journal of Psychiatry brought data from Canada to show that people hospitalized for eating disorders may be five to seven times more likely to die than the general population.

In the case of bulimia, the problem is that excessive vomiting and the use of laxatives can lead to an electrolyte imbalance, which increases the risk of abnormal heart rhythms.

“The damage caused to the heart by bulimia can also cause congestive heart failure and sudden cardiac death,” explains Marcella.

Problem affects women more

Although eating disorders can affect people of any age or gender, it may occur more in teenage girls and women in their 20s. Parents and other concerned loved ones should be on the lookout for signs that someone is obsessing about their weight, exercising obsessively, routinely leaving the table during a meal to use the bathroom, or wearing baggy clothes to hide how thin they are, doctor explains. nutritionist.

“Signs and symptoms that someone’s eating disorder may be causing heart problems include dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath, frequent nosebleeds and lack of energy,” he adds.

Bringing someone with an eating disorder back to a healthy weight can resolve structural changes in the heart caused by malnutrition, but it must be done with caution and medical monitoring.

“People who are severely malnourished are at high risk of refeeding syndrome, which occurs when nutrition is reintroduced too quickly. It can be fatal. It’s also important not to blame people for developing an eating disorder. These are not disorders of choice, and we need to recognize that. There is a genetic component. If one of the parents has it, there is a great chance that their children will also develop it”, concludes Marcella.