ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a valid measure of change in body fat in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients during refeeding, as compared to skinfold calipers (SF). METHODS: Prospective cohort study with measures of BIA and SF performed once a month for 3 months on patients meeting the DSM-III-R criteria for AN who received treatment from the Eating Disorders Clinic of a university teaching hospital as inpatients or outpatients. RESULTS: Twenty patients completed the study. Comparison of the two methods by the Pearson correlation coefficient showed a weak negative correlation of r = -.305. Analysis by a graphical method confirmed the poor agreement that exists between the two methods. DISCUSSION: The inability of BIA to detect changes in body composition due to altered hydration, and to accurately assess the distribution of water between intracellular and extracellular compartments, limits its clinical usefulness in AN. It appears that SF measurements are preferable to BIA as a measure of body fat change in patients with AN.
Subject(s)
Adipose Tissue , Anorexia Nervosa/diagnosis , Electric Impedance , Adolescent , Adult , Anthropometry , Cohort Studies , Female , Humans , Prospective Studies , Psychiatric Status Rating ScalesABSTRACT
Zinc supplementation of anorexia nervosa (AN) patients has been reported to increase the weight gain of AN patients in open trials. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial 100 mg of zinc gluconate, or placebo, was given daily to 35 female AN inpatients until they achieved a 10% increase in body mass index (BMI). The rate of increase in BMI of the zinc supplemented group (n = 16) was twice that of the placebo group (n = 19), and this difference was statistically significant (p = .03). The use of zinc supplementation should be considered in the treatment of AN patients.
Subject(s)
Anorexia Nervosa/drug therapy , Gluconates/administration & dosage , Weight Gain/drug effects , Adolescent , Adult , Body Mass Index , Combined Modality Therapy , Double-Blind Method , Enteral Nutrition , Female , HumansABSTRACT
Anorexia nervosa (AN) and zinc deficiency, found most frequently in young females, have a number of symptoms in common. These include weight loss, alterations in taste and appetite, depression, and amenorrhea. Approximately half of anorexia nervosa patients (ANs) are vegetarian (VANs), a practice that may increase their risk for zinc deficiency. This study compared the dietary intake of zinc and related nutrients in 9 outpatient VANs with that of 11 outpatient nonvegetarian patients with anorexia nervosa (NVANs). VANs reported significantly lower (p < .05) dietary intakes of zinc, fat, and protein, and a significantly higher (p < .05) intake of calories from carbohydrates than NVANs. There were no significant differences between the groups in dietary intake of calories, calcium, copper, iron, or magnesium. These findings indicate that zinc intake should be routinely assessed in VANs and that zinc supplementation of their diets may be indicated.
Subject(s)
Anorexia Nervosa/diet therapy , Diet, Vegetarian , Zinc/administration & dosage , Adolescent , Adult , Anorexia Nervosa/blood , Biological Availability , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Nutritional Requirements , Nutritive Value , Zinc/blood , Zinc/deficiencySubject(s)
Child Abuse, Sexual/complications , Dissociative Disorders/complications , Feeding and Eating Disorders/complications , Child , Child Abuse, Sexual/psychology , Dissociative Disorders/etiology , Dissociative Disorders/psychology , Feeding and Eating Disorders/psychology , Female , Humans , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
The purpose of this paper is to provide support for the hypothesis that Queen Elizabeth I was a case of testicular feminization (male pseudohermaphroditism) and for the explanation of her contemporaries and of some historians, that she never married because of some congenital defect. The phenotypical characteristics of the testicular feminization syndrome are strikingly similar to descriptions of Elizabeth's appearance, personality, behaviour, and particularly, to those physical defects which her contemporaries believed made her sterile and unwilling to marry. Modern historians have rejected the "physical defect" explanation of Elizabeth's refusal to marry in favour of a "psychological" explanation. The basic premise of the "psychological" explanation, that Elizabeth was physically capable of bearing children is unsound for a number of reasons. Recent advances in our understanding of the process of sexual differentiation, particularly, the description of the testicular feminization syndrome, justify a re-evaluation of the "physical defect evidence" of Elizabeth's contemporaries.
Subject(s)
Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome/history , Famous Persons , England , History, 16th Century , HumansABSTRACT
Zinc deficiency may play a role in the etiology of anorexia nervosa. The symptoms of anorexia nervosa and zinc deficiency are similar in a number of respects, e.g., weight loss, loss of appetite, amenorrhea in females, impotence in males, nausea and skin lesions. In both conditions females under 25 are most at risk. Stress, estrogen and dietary habits may also be involved in the complex of factors which create or exacerbate a zinc deficiency and result in anorexia nervosa. It is proposed that effectiveness in the treatment of anorexia nervosa.
