The Link Between Low Mood And Anorexia

We humans need to eat food in order to survive as food will not only provide us with calories which in turn, become the energy supply for the body, but also the various minerals and nutrients necessary for overall well-being and health, predominately where the body is unable to produce/synthesize such items.

Therein lies one of the most bitter and tragic ironies of anorexia, whilst the condition is typically caused as a direct consequence of low mood and a severely negative self-image, many anorexia sufferers will effectively try and “diet” their way to a slimmer, happier them. Tragically, their efforts will be forever doomed because the fact that they are imposing such a harsh and arbitrary censure on the food that they actually eat will mean that their body will lose out on essential minerals and vitamins which are responsible for good mental health.

Some of these are as follows.

L-tryptophan is an amino acid that is used in the production and distribution of “Serotonin” which is itself one of the body’s natural painkilling and “feel good” hormones. In short, serotonin is used to control and regulate the mood of a person and so there is a casual link between a lack of this hormone in the body and the onset of a plethora of different mental health disorders.

Interestingly, one of the primary mental health issues that will result as a consequence of a lack of L-tryptophan in the diet is that the sufferer will then go onto develop an intense sense of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which itself, is typified by means of an abnormal and pathological need to engage in highly ritualistic and complex behaviour. Given that the very nature of anorexia is such that the victim will ritualize the consumption and ingestion of food in a number of different ways, ensuring that the consumption of L-tryptophan in the diet may very well be a useful step forward in the managemnt of anorexia.

If you are suffering from anorexia, then as alien and distressing a concept as it maybe, make sure that you try and increase the amount of L-tryptophan in your diet, if only for a short space of time, and see how you feel.