home Audience 6 No appetite in an adult: causes and treatment at home. Decreased appetite

No appetite in an adult: causes and treatment at home. Decreased appetite

Usually, women who are losing weight desperately wish that they would lose their appetite. However, when this actually happens, even they begin to seriously fear for their health. The feeling of hunger can be dulled for completely different reasons.

If, in addition to this symptom, you experience sudden loss weight - you should urgently consult a doctor, especially if you do not follow and have not followed any weight loss diets.

The reason for this clinical manifestation should be clarified in as soon as possible. Not worth considering this state as something normal and transitory. Indeed, in some cases, this may be caused by some minor disorder, such as weather sensitivity.

However, you must investigate in detail and find out whether everything is as harmless as it seems at first glance. Remember that loss of appetite, especially long-term loss, should never be ignored.

So, what are the reasons for loss of appetite?

Causes of decreased appetite

The feeling of hunger is a physiological reaction of the body to a lack of nutrients. When the body feels an acute lack of them, a signal is sent to the brain about the need to replenish nutritional resources. This often occurs against the background of an elementary decrease in the level of glucose and other substances valuable for the body’s functioning in the blood. It is at this moment that a person wants to eat, and not selectively, but in general.

If there is a craving for a certain product without an objective feeling of hunger, this is already psychological problem, and not by biochemical reactions of the body.

What to do if you lose your appetite? First of all, you need to determine - has it really completely disappeared, or do you just not want to eat what is being offered to you at the moment?

Loss of appetite comes in different forms:

Dulling of the feeling of hunger as such (even under the condition of an objectively long-ago meal, when a person himself realizes that it would not hurt for him to eat, but, roughly speaking, he “the piece doesn’t go down my throat”);
Complete lack of appetite for a long time (anorexia);
A sharp change in taste preferences (for example, disgust or dislike for a certain group of foods).

By the way, the last symptom is also quite alarming. For example, aversion to meat food in meat-eaters, it often indicates the presence of tumors in the body, and in the vast majority of cases - malignant. However, such drastic changes can also occur against the background of, for example, poisoning. Quite often, a person who has once been poisoned by mushrooms does not perceive them as an attractive product subsequently. The same can apply to other categories of food.

Objective reasons for suppressing the feeling of hunger in humans

Appetite naturally decreases when a person is sick. This applies to viral and infectious diseases, internal inflammation, intoxications. At the same time, you lose your appetite and sometimes feel nauseous. This process is associated with the body’s natural reaction to foreign microorganisms, toxins and decay products.

The body spends all its energy on eliminating or neutralizing them, and therefore it simply does not want to spend energy resources on digesting food and does not send corresponding impulses to the brain.

For the same reason, during illness a person feels tired without the slightest physical effort.

If you are suffering from acute respiratory viral infections or acute respiratory infections, and you have suffered from appetite suppression, there is nothing to worry about, and you can regard this as a natural protective reaction of your body. The same goes for food or chemical poisoning, even minor ones.

In addition, the reason, if hunger is dulled, may be hidden in the following factors:

Organ diseases gastrointestinal tract in which appetite naturally decreases due to pain or discomfort;
Endocrine system disorders (disorders of the thyroid gland, hypothalamus and adrenal cortex);
Disorders of metabolic processes in the body (most often associated with oncological processes);
Neuropsychic disorders, including neurotic and depressive states, psychoses, etc.

If you lose your appetite during neurosis, this should also be regarded as normal, since all functions suffer. nervous system. The feeling of hunger, and sometimes the innervation, especially of the limbs, is dulled. Impulses are not isolated or projected into normal mode– all processes in the body become inhibited.

True, this does not mean that there is no need to treat neurosis. You should contact a competent and experienced specialist for help with your problem. Remember that the nervous system controls almost every process in our body, which means that its neglected disorders can provoke serious diseases and syndromes that are very difficult to cure.

Specific pathological causes

If we talk about specific diseases that provoke suppression of hunger, the most common among them are the diseases from the list:

Bronze disease (Addison's disease);
Rheumatoid arthritis;
Chronic polyarthritis;
Gastroesophageal reflux;
Depression;
Stressful conditions;
Dementia (dementia);
Affective disorders, in particular seasonal ones;
Schizophrenia and schizophrenic personality disorders;
Peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum;
Anorexia.

People prone to hypochondriacal and neurotic disorders tend to immediately look for cancer and other pathologies of this kind. In fact, such behavior may indicate the presence of neurosis rather than an actual pathology of a malignant nature.

It should be remembered that neurotic disorders can lead to serious internal pathologies, so they also cannot be discounted as a potential health hazard.

Appetite disorders during pregnancy

Many women are interested in the question of what to do if they lose their appetite during pregnancy. In fact, it may also be due to physiological factors. For example, in the early stages of pregnancy, many women suffer from toxicosis.

Constant nausea simply cannot help but affect your appetite - who wants to eat when you only want to empty your stomach? Toxicosis is also natural reaction immune system to the invasion of a foreign body into the body (this is what your body considers the fetus to be).

With toxicosis, hunger is almost always dulled. And toxicosis itself can last quite a long time, although in some lucky women it is completely absent. It must be said that this condition is later should be regarded as relatively dangerous. In addition to normal nausea, increased blood pressure and protein concentrations in the urine (which leads to edema).

Gestosis, as late toxicosis is called, requires constant monitoring by an obstetrician-gynecologist supervising pregnancy. Otherwise, this condition can lead to premature birth, placental abruption, stillbirth and intrauterine fetal death. In particular severe cases, violation can threaten the life of the mother.

In addition to toxicosis, a dull feeling of hunger in the first trimesters of pregnancy can be caused by a deficiency folic acid in a woman's body. In this case, you should urgently begin to replenish its resources, since it is vital in the process of bearing a child. This can be done by adjusting the diet, as well as using multivitamin complexes. However, the latter must be prescribed by a doctor - amateur activity is inappropriate here. It is also important to verify precisely this reason for the violation.

A good appetite has always been considered a sign of good health. Proper work mechanism responsible for meeting the need for nutrients and getting pleasure from it indicates that the body functions without any special deviations. However, human appetite is a variable quantity. It depends on the nutritional culture instilled in childhood, taste preferences (which can change more than once during life), weather, mood and many other factors. Therefore, periodic loss of appetite is normal. A complete lack of interest in food, especially when it lasts long enough, may be a sign serious problems with health.

Appetite is regulated by a special food center located in the brain. When toxins enter the body, the functioning of this structure is temporarily blocked, since the main work of all systems at that moment is aimed at trying to get rid of dangerous substances. Intoxication can be caused by:

food poisoning;
overdose of nicotine or alcohol;
exposure to chemical compounds contained in household chemicals, cosmetics or perfumes, as well as paint used in the production of fabrics, and other harmful components contained in objects with which a person has frequent direct contact;
carbon monoxide poisoning;
application medicines;
acute infection (flu, ARVI, hepatitis, etc.).

As a rule, after removal from the body toxic substances appetite returns.

Source: depositphotos.com

Patients suffering from pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract often experience unpleasant symptoms dyspepsia: abdominal pain, belching, flatulence, nausea. IN similar cases loss of appetite is associated with a reflexive fear of eating.

Of course, such patients should not eat at all: this will only aggravate the painful condition. The way out is a special diet that excludes spicy, salty, sour foods, fried and smoked foods, fast food and canned food. Food should be semi-liquid and have an enveloping effect (for example, slimy porridges and purees are useful).

Source: depositphotos.com

Oscillations hormonal levels greatly affect appetite. This is especially noticeable during pregnancy, when serious changes in a woman’s body can lead to very specific nutritional needs and changes in taste preferences.

Pathological abnormalities in the functioning of the endocrine glands usually cause a decrease in appetite. This process is characterized by gradualness: for example, with a decrease in the function of the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), the desire to consume food decreases or disappears completely over a long period, in parallel with a general loss of body tone, the development of fatigue, the appearance of drowsiness, tearfulness and other signs of the disease.

Source: depositphotos.com

Decreased appetite may be due to psychogenic reasons. So, with depression, food stops giving a person pleasure; Often even the smell of food causes nausea. At the same time, patients complain of a feeling of fullness in the stomach and too rapid saturation. People in serious trouble depressed state, sometimes you have to force feed.

One of the most common psycho-emotional disorders, characterized by a lack of appetite, is anorexia. For young women suffering from an inferiority complex and dissatisfied with their bodies, the desire to lose weight at any cost leads first to following unreasonably strict diets, artificial emptying of the stomach from absorbed food, and then to an absolute rejection of any food. This is a severe neuropsychic disorder that must be treated by specialists; it often requires hospitalization.

Good appetite it is wellness and health. and food taken on time is a source of minerals, vitamins, a producer of energy for the growth of the body and ensures vital functions.

When your appetite is good, you don’t think about it. Emerging problems with appetite or lack of it, apathy, can be a signal of imbalance, imbalance in the body, and sometimes the development of serious diseases and complications. For some it's a problem excess weight, for others - thinness. Therefore, it is also important for them to normalize weight, restore appetite and stabilize the process of food digestion.

Decreased appetite, causes

Overwork causes a decrease in appetite.

Decreased appetite may be caused by the following reasons:

bacterial and viral infections. When all the body’s forces are aimed at fighting the source of the disease;
inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract, such as duodenum, liver. When eating is associated with stomach pain, diarrhea, belching, discomfort;
stressful situations, nervous outbursts of emotions, overstrain and overwork;
depression, despondency, depressed state when the desire to eat disappears;
desire to lose weight, overindulgence varied diets can lead to anorexia.

Loss of appetite in older people

Food should be tasty and healthy.

Loss of appetite in adults for a while is a passing phenomenon and you should not focus on it.

It’s another matter if there is a persistent loss of appetite and lack of need to eat food. When aversion to food, reluctance to eat exceeds the instinct of life.

Older people often live alone and lose the pleasure of living. Financial problems force pensioners to limit their food intake or eat cheap, low-quality products. With age, problems appear with the deterioration of taste buds, weakened intestinal function, low acidity, and the inability to properly digest food.

All these reasons affect the loss of appetite. To properly perceive food and relieve problems of low appetite, the following rules must be observed:

Food must contain all the vitamins and microelements necessary for old age, since the need for them increases with age.
Increase the amount of easily digestible dishes such as porridge, stewed vegetables, steamed lean meats. Avoid fried and fatty ingredients.
It is better to eat in small portions and more often, as there is poor digestion and absorption of food.
If necessary, use food choppers (blenders).

To cope with the problem of decreased appetite, it is necessary to identify the causes of this phenomenon.

If you eat irregularly, the risk of metabolic disorders and metabolic disorders increases.

This video will tell you what food increases your appetite:

Appetite boosters for children

A variety of dishes will help increase your appetite.

Adults often worry about poor appetite in children. To eliminate these points you need to:

make the correct one according to age;
regular walks, outdoor games fresh air, permissible physical activity;
beautiful design of children's dishes;
adding fresh fruits to porridge, muesli and other dishes;
use beautiful plates with pictures. To see the bottom, you have to eat everything on the plate;
eating at certain times of the day, following a diet;
the child does not need to be force-fed, as it develops an aversion to food, or even worse, a vomiting reflex;
do not feed heavily when the child is sick;
stop snacking between meals with cookies, buns, etc.;
do not feed the child in a bad mood or when he is naughty;
diversify the range of dishes;
Do not add large portions.

How to increase appetite in an adult

Small meals will increase the appetite of an adult.

Different life situations cause strong feelings and negative thoughts, negatively affect appetite and the condition of the body as a whole.

Eating every day at certain hours promotes the production of saliva and prepares the body for eating;
use beautiful table settings and varied presentation of dishes;
do not snack between meals, eat dry and on the go;
diversify the number of dishes, balance the consumption of proteins;
use fractional nutrition in small portions;
get enough sleep, sleep at least 8 hours, alternate hours of work with rest, do not overwork;
physical activity. With regular exercise, the metabolism in the body proceeds faster, and thereby stimulates the urge to

Lack of appetite in an adult in most cases means malfunctions in the body. Healthy people sometimes do not feel hungry due to stress, overwork and nervousness. And also in moments of fever and food poisoning. Ailments such as colds and bloating are often accompanied by a loss of interest in food, and its absence during pregnancy and old age is explained by physiological processes occurring in the body. If this is not the reason, perhaps the person has no appetite due to illness internal organs, and he needs to go to the hospital for a thorough examination.

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A person's feeling of hunger

Good appetite is a sign of healthand a prosperous life. Food lifts your spirits and gives you energy. U healthy person quantity is responsible for the feeling of hunger gastric juice. When all internal organs are functioning correctly, the amount of enzyme that processes food becomes sufficient. During meals, the walls of the stomach tense with the proper intensity, and gastric juice is produced abundantly. This physiological process and is responsible for a good appetite.

A short-term decrease in hunger during a brief illness is not harmful to health. The human body is capable of self-healing, and with a short period of consuming fewer calories, nothing dangerous will happen. But if fasting is prolonged, all organs, including the brain, lack the necessary nutrition, after which disturbances in their functioning are possible.

The food an adult eats depends on the type of activity and the degree of mental stress. Food should be balanced and replenish the mental and physical effort expended. If appetite is lost for a long time, brain activity will decrease and increased fatigue. No matter what type of activity people engage in, when there is a lack of calorie intake, the following appear:

When they talk about a healthy appetite, we are not talking about the desire to eat something tasty and more, but about normal nutrition ordinary person to restore his vitality.

Teenagers also sometimes experience a decrease in appetite. In the moment adolescence they become picky eaters and refuse to consume healthy food. They may eat only a few favorite foods that do not provide the body with the necessary nutrients. They are constantly busy with something, in a hurry and snack on the go. Such a malnutrition harms the developing body and slows down mental development.

Causes of poor appetite

The loss of hunger in men and women is influenced by external and internal factors . The reasons are hidden in physical and psychological diseases, pregnancy and old age. TO physical factors relate:

Cause	Characteristic
Intestinal dysbiosis	Changes in microflora lead to poor absorption of nutrients, a person loses the feeling of hunger and loses weight. Symptoms: colic, bloating, flatulence and loose stools
Gastritis	Pain occurs with every meal. Nausea and vomiting appear. I don’t even want to eat my favorite food. Result: weakness, drowsiness and decreased immunity. If left untreated, the patient faces complete exhaustion
Food allergies	It manifests itself as constipation, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, swelling of the throat, palate and tongue. This reaction of the body is caused by impulses entering the brain when certain elements that are part of certain products enter the blood. There is a blockage of food that irritates the body
Infectious diseases	Tuberculosis, pneumonia, hepatitis, HIV and seasonal infections are significant reasons for decreased interest in food
Vascular diseases	Changes in blood pressure are a significant cause of suppressed appetite. Symptoms: frequent headaches in the back of the head, nausea, redness skin face, nosebleeds, memory impairment, heavy sweating, insomnia, irritability. Hypertension is a serious disease not only among older people, but also among the younger generation. Moving little during feeling unwell, the person stops wasting energy and eats little. Taking medications that stabilize blood pressure is another cause of poor appetite
Exacerbation of chronic diseases	These include: kidney and heart failure, irritable bowel syndrome, pancreatic disease
Oncological pathology	Deadly dangerous disease, in which the appetite disappears both at the beginning, when the person does not yet know about his illness, and during treatment, and after rehabilitation period. Chemotherapy is harmful not only cancer cells, but also to the entire immune system. Nausea and vomiting contribute to significant weight loss. It is the gain of lost kilograms and an improving appetite that indicate that the patient is on the mend. Strongest on poor appetite affects cancer of the intestine, pancreas, stomach and liver
Climax	The restructuring of the female body during menopause leads to surges in blood pressure, nausea and decreased interest in food.
Endocrine disorders	Changes in thyroid function are characterized by a general decrease in vital tone
Worm infestations	Nausea, diarrhea and complete lack of appetite may also occur for this reason. Weakness and dizziness appear, as the helminths absorb all the nutrients and poison the human body with their feces.

Reception medical supplies during the treatment of diseases affecting negative attitude to food, also helps to reduce the need for food - until the person gets better.

Other reasons

External reasons that influence healthy appetite and well-being include: pregnancy and childbirth, nervous disorders And old age.

Pregnancy period

Lack of appetite during pregnancy is not that uncommon. Forty percent of pregnant women notice that in the first trimester the feeling of hunger practically does not remind itself, and women have no appetite. If to the expectant mother within a month or two she has to force herself to eat, this can have a bad effect on her well-being and the health of the unborn baby. Every female body during the period of gestation, it individually reacts to physiological changes, and the pregnant woman’s appetite can either decrease or increase. The reasons for this are varied:

1. Toxicosis. Many people constantly feel nauseous in the early stages, and any swallowed piece asks to be taken out. Since there is a need for nutrients, it is recommended to consume at least liquid food: soups, milk porridges, purees, drink fruit and vegetable juices.
2. Hormonal changes. The surge of hormones dulls appetite, reduces digestive function and increases levels of progesterone, a hormone that reduces hunger.
3. Lack of folic acid. A deficiency of vitamin B9 during pregnancy leads to a weakened feeling of hunger, which threatens a lack of iron in the blood (anemia).
4. Constipation. In the second trimester, the uterus puts pressure on the intestines, digestion worsens and constipation appears, accompanied by nausea.
5. Compressed stomach. As the uterus and fetus grow in the third trimester, nausea and a feeling that there is not enough room for food in the stomach occur. Food requirement for latest dates is being reduced for this very reason.

To replenish useful substances pregnant women are prescribed medications containing full complex essential vitamins.

Psychological factor

A common cause of poor appetite is nervous disorders such as stress, depression, and anorexia nervosa. You don’t want to eat when you’re in love, after the loss of a loved one, when you have problems at work or discord in your personal life. Such shocks affect not only mental health, but also on physiological level. Unbalanced diets and dissatisfaction with one's body often lead to bulimia, and then to anorexia. The latter is difficult to treat, and nowadays all more girls and young women suffer from this disorder.

Depression is another one psychological factor, which makes food tasteless and uninteresting for men and women. A person does not find satisfaction in food - just like in other areas of life - and forgets about the need for daily calories. In this case, a depressed person feels fullness in the stomach, rapid satiety, or the urge to vomit. Nausea and vomiting during severe depression are common. Until the appetite completely disappears, the patient must be treated urgently.

Old age

Senile dementia, Parkinson's disease and diseases of the cardiovascular system significantly suppress the feeling of hunger, and sometimes provoke complete failure from food. Long-term refusal of food is fraught with weight loss, loss of strength and general weakness. The functioning of all internal organs is disrupted, and the brain, which does not receive the necessary nutrition, is especially affected. Muscle atrophy and problems with the musculoskeletal system occur.

Older people do not complain about anything, but continue to refuse food and lose weight. If you don't help them, it will lead to fatal outcome. Such patients are treated by an endocrinologist, gastroenterologist and psychotherapist.

How to restore a healthy appetite at home?

To improve the appetite of an adult, you need to rest more, take multivitamins and increase the amount of water you drink per day. If you don’t feel like eating because of a monotonous diet, you should not be lazy and cook something new and tasty. Replace plates with brighter ones - they encourage you to eat more food. Refuse bad habits and find an interesting hobby. This will definitely help a healthy but tired person, and if not, then they will come to the rescue folk remedies, which will return the taste to food.

Good for increasing appetite herbal infusions, prepared at home.

St. John's wort and wormwood tea

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. l. bitter wormwood;
3 tbsp. l. calamus root;
3 tbsp. l. St. John's wort.

Cooking method:

1. Pour the components into a thermos.
2. Pour 2 cups of boiling water.
3. Brew until morning (8 hours).
4. In the morning, strain and divide into four portions.

Take 4 times a day fifteen minutes before meals.

At the same time, he has food preferences, but no aversion to certain types food. And portions that give a feeling of fullness weigh at least 300 grams. If at least one of these points is violated, the person is considered to have a decreased appetite.

Why did I lose my appetite?

The most trivial reasons for lack of appetite are the following.

Hot weather. At elevated temperatures, there is often a lack of appetite. The reasons are simple: when food is digested, heat is released, and the body thus tries to protect itself from overheating.

Insufficient fluid intake. Digesting food and eliminating waste (nutrient breakdown products) requires a lot of fluid. If there is little fluid intake, the body may not be able to cope with the load, and intoxication will occur. Therefore, it is easier for the body to refuse food than to cope with such consequences.

Low physical activity. With low physical activity, a person expends little energy and does not require additional calories. Therefore, poor appetite in this case is the absolute norm.

Lack of fresh air. If you sit cooped up all day and breathe house fumes, hypoxia (or lack of oxygen) will inevitably occur. This pathological condition disrupts the normal course of all processes in the body, and the digestion process is no exception. The consequence is reduced or completely absent appetite.

Taking certain medications. Before you start taking any medication, even one prescribed by a doctor, you should definitely read the list of possible side effects. Decreased appetite is the most common side effect.

Initial stage of pregnancy. Usually, from the 6th week of pregnancy, various appetite disorders begin to appear, including its complete absence. This is normal if it is not accompanied by debilitating vomiting.

When all obvious reasons are excluded

4 main reasons for lack of appetite

A good appetite has always been considered a sign of good health. The correct operation of the mechanism responsible for satisfying the need for nutrients and obtaining pleasure from it indicates that the body functions without any special deviations. However, human appetite is a variable quantity. It depends on the nutritional culture instilled in childhood, taste preferences (which can change more than once during life), weather, mood and many other factors. Therefore, periodic loss of appetite is normal. A complete lack of interest in food, especially when it lasts long enough, can be a sign of serious health problems.

Intoxication of the body

food poisoning;
overdose of nicotine or alcohol;
exposure to chemical compounds contained in household chemicals, cosmetics or perfumes, as well as paint used in the production of fabrics, and other harmful components contained in objects with which a person has frequent direct contact;
carbon monoxide poisoning;
use of medications;
acute infection (flu, ARVI, hepatitis, etc.).

As a rule, after toxic substances are removed from the body, appetite returns.

Digestive diseases

Patients suffering from pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract often experience unpleasant symptoms of dyspepsia: abdominal pain, belching, flatulence, nausea. In such cases, the loss of appetite is associated with a reflexive fear of eating.

Hormonal imbalances

Fluctuations in hormonal levels greatly affect appetite. This is especially noticeable during pregnancy, when serious changes in a woman’s body can lead to very specific nutritional needs and changes in taste preferences.

Nervous disorders

Decreased appetite may also be due to psychogenic reasons. So, with depression, food stops giving a person pleasure; Often even the smell of food causes nausea. At the same time, patients complain of a feeling of fullness in the stomach and too rapid saturation. People who are severely depressed sometimes have to be force-fed.

In all cases of prolonged lack of interest in food, you should consult your doctor. If no pathologies are detected in a person, but a persistent decrease in appetite threatens his health, the desire to eat can be increased through moderate exercise (for example, swimming) and walking. In some situations, taking decoctions and tinctures helps medicinal herbs: wormwood, centaury, calamus, mint, elecampane, trifoliate, fenugreek, barberry. Also useful medicinal teas from leaves of strawberries, black currants and raspberries.

Video from YouTube on the topic of the article:

Education: First Moscow State University medical University named after I.M. Sechenov, specialty "General Medicine".

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A good appetite has always been considered a sign of health and normal functioning of the body. The feeling of hunger is a natural phenomenon that signals that a person needs to “recharge” and restore lost energy. Accordingly, a lack of interest in food may indicate a number of diseases or problems in the functioning of internal organs. What does lack of appetite mean in adults, and in what cases should you consult a doctor?

No appetite: reasons for an adult

What is a healthy appetite?

A signal that the body needs to replenish its reserves of proteins, carbohydrates and other substances is formed in the brain. It is transmitted through neural endings to the digestive organs, as a result of which the secretion of gastric juice is activated, the level of insulin in the blood increases, and the person feels a feeling of hunger.

The mechanisms of our appetite

Lack of appetite indicates disruptions in this process - these could be diseases digestive tract, hormonal disorders, oncology and much more.

Causes of loss of appetite may be caused by gastrointestinal diseases

The reasons for loss of interest in food are divided into pathological, that is, those that are the result of malfunctions in the body, and non-pathological - they do not pose a threat to health and do not require medical intervention.

Non-pathological causes of decreased appetite

Non-pathological causes can be distinguished from health-threatening conditions by a number of signs. In this case, there is no appetite for 3-5 days (maximum a week), after which the body’s functioning returns to normal on its own. Such episodes are repeated no more than once a month, do not cause serious weight loss and are not accompanied by nausea, weakness, fever and other symptoms. TO similar reasons This includes the impact of external factors on the body and some changes in its functioning that can be corrected without medical intervention.

Accommodations. Lack of appetite can be observed in certain conditions - for example, during very hot weather or a sharp change in climatic zones.

In hot weather, most people have a decreased appetite

Chronic fatigue and lack of appetite

Lack of appetite due to stress

Dietary disorders

In pregnant women, lack of appetite may be caused by toxicosis

A decrease in appetite is often observed in older people, which can also be considered a variant of the norm - in adulthood, metabolic and digestive processes in the body slow down.

Pathological causes of lack of appetite

The reasons for loss of interest in food, which are associated with various diseases, are: serious danger for good health. Vitamins, microelements and nutrients stop entering the body, which over time can lead to general exhaustion and even death. These include:

infectious diseases and exacerbations of chronic ailments;
disruptions of the endocrine system (especially those associated with pancreatic dysfunction);
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;

In this case, loss of appetite is usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pain, etc. If these symptoms develop, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible, since similar condition threatens with serious consequences.

Of particular concern are cases where a person becomes nauseous from one type of food, or begins to develop an aversion to once-favorite foods (for example, meat dishes) – this phenomenon often accompanies cancer.

If you feel sick from eating, you need to seriously think about your health

What to do if you lose your appetite?

If lack of appetite is not accompanied additional symptoms, you can try to restore it by following simple rules. If you have an aversion to food, you should not force your body - it is better to eat when you want, in small portions, but at the same time it is advisable to organize your food intake and eat at approximately the same time. Dishes should be tasty, healthy and beautifully presented - so that interest in food is awakened by just one look.

Garnish dishes with fresh herbs

In addition, if your appetite decreases, you should drink as much water as possible to prevent dehydration, walk in the fresh air more often, exercise physical activity and have a good rest. It is recommended to take vitamin complexes, especially those containing vitamin B12 and ascorbic acid.

Vitamins B and PP

Vitamins C, E, D, K

What should the menu consist of for loss of appetite in adults? The key rule is that the diet should be balanced and contain all the microelements and nutrients necessary for health. In addition, there are a number of products that help increase appetite - primarily herbs, spices, hot and salty foods, as well as marinades. True, it is categorically not recommended to abuse them - in large quantities, such food can cause digestive disorders, gastritis and even ulcers.

Spices improve appetite, but you shouldn’t overuse them

You should also not eat a lot of fatty and heavy foods - after eating you should feel full, not heavy and full in the stomach.

Do not overindulge in foods that are difficult for the stomach.

Before eating, you can drink a gram of dry red wine or other light alcohol with a bitter aftertaste - aperitifs in reasonable quantities contribute to a good appetite.

Mild alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, the purpose of which is to slightly quench thirst and stimulate appetite. Snacks are served with them

Classic Venetian aperitif

Foods that help improve appetite include:

black radish juice - take a tablespoon for several days, washed down with a spoon of clean water;

The rule for such treatment is as follows: from potent remedies (horseradish, mustard, onion, radish), you need to choose one, and use it for no more than 20 days in a row.

Medicines to increase appetite

TO medicines that help increase appetite should be used only when extreme cases after consultation with a doctor. Each of them has a number of contraindications and side effects, and if used incorrectly and dosage can cause serious harm body.

For neuroses and psycho-emotional disorders associated with loss of appetite, patients are recommended to take antidepressants and sedatives in combination with psychotherapy and other treatment methods. The most common drugs include Amitriptyline, Fluoxetine, Cipramil, Paxil, but their prescription and dosage calculation must be made by a doctor.

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How to improve appetite using folk remedies?

To increase appetite, you can use folk remedies that are no less effective than medications, but do not harm the body.

Coriander. The fruits and seeds of the plant contain essential oils, which have antispasmodic and antiseptic effects, and also have a beneficial effect on digestive processes. They can be added as a seasoning to dishes, or to prepare medicine. Steam a tablespoon of raw material with a glass of boiling water, leave covered for 10 minutes, then strain and drink half a glass 2-3 times after meals.

Any means to improve appetite can be used only in cases where the underlying cause of the disease is known - without appropriate therapy, loss of appetite will become chronic, and the body’s condition may worsen significantly.

Video - What to do if you have no appetite

Decreased or lack of appetite (anorexia): causes and treatment

What is appetite

Appetite is an emotional expression of a person’s preference for food of a certain quality (desire for a certain food). Appetite is subjectively different from the feeling of hunger. The occurrence of a feeling of hunger is based on the body’s general need for nutrients and is usually experienced as an unpleasant state.

Causes of decreased or lack of appetite

Appetite arises on the basis of nutritional need associated with ideas about future food intake, and includes pleasant emotional sensations that usually accompany the intake of a particular food. Appetite is formed as a result of stimulation of certain parts of the central nervous system (including the hunger center in the hypothalamus) and is accompanied by conditioned reflex salivation and the secretion of digestive juices, increased peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract, thereby preparing the digestive organs for food intake.

Appetite has a connection with the physiological needs of the body, as, for example, in the case of a craving for salty food after the body has lost significant amounts of salt. But such a connection is by no means always traced; appetite often reflects an innate or acquired individual tendency to certain foods.

Thus, preference, like aversion (often very persistent) to some other types of food, is determined by the availability of a given variant in a particular region and is modified by special features of individual culture, usually rooted in religion, although subsequently, perhaps, rationalized. In light of this, the “appetizing” of a dish, the main elements of which include smell, taste, consistency, temperature, method of preparation and serving, strongly depends on our affective (emotional) attitude towards it.

Under the influence of strong external stimuli, for example, a particularly tempting and plentiful choice of food, almost everyone from time to time eats more than they need to replenish their energy reserves. Means, biological mechanisms food consumption regulations are overcome. Overeating is, in principle, compensated for by subsequent dietary restriction, but in modern society Not everyone resorts to restrictions. Decreased appetite may be associated with overwork, a nervous environment at work and at home.

Pronounced selectivity of appetite is often observed in women during pregnancy and in patients. Changes in appetite can accompany various diseases. It should also be noted that nutrition plays an important role in behavioral disorders. They can be accompanied by both excess food consumption and food refusal. A striking example- anorexia nervosa - a form of abstinence from food, most common in girls in adolescence; this disorder of mental development can be so profound that it leads to death from exhaustion.

Anorexia

The term "anorexia" means lack of appetite when there is physiological need in nutrition. This common symptom disorders in the gastrointestinal tract or endocrine system. It is also typical for severe mental disorders.

Possible causes of anorexia

This symptom is observed with anxiety, chronic pain, poor hygiene oral cavity, increased body temperature due to heat or fever, changes in tastes that often accompany growing up or aging.

Anorexia can result from taking or overusing certain medications. Short-term anorexia practically does not threaten the patient’s health. However, with prolonged anorexia, the body's resistance decreases and its susceptibility to various diseases. Chronic anorexia can result in life-threatening exhaustion.

In children early age Anorexia develops more often with force feeding or violation of complementary feeding rules.

Endocrine system disorders

Adenocortical hypofunction. In this disorder, anorexia develops slowly and sluggishly, causing gradual weight loss.
Hypopituitarism (insufficiency of the pituitary gland or hypothalamus). In this case, anorexia also develops slowly. Associated symptoms vary depending on the severity of the disease and the number and type of hormones missing.
Myxedema. Anorexia is usually a sign of a lack of thyroid hormones.
Ketoacidosis. Anorexia usually develops slowly, accompanied by inflammation and dry skin, fruity breath, decreased blood pressure, increased heart rate, abdominal pain and nausea.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

Appendicitis. Anorexia is accompanied by general or local abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
Cirrhosis of the liver. Anorexia develops early stages and may be accompanied by weakness, nausea, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea, dull ache in a stomach. Anorexia continues after these manifestations early signs, which are accompanied by drowsiness, slow speech, severe itching, bleeding, dry skin, enlarged liver, jaundice, swelling of the legs and pain in the right hypochondrium. Chronic anorexia in Crohn's disease leads to significant weight loss.
Gastritis. When acute gastritis anorexia develops suddenly, and with chronic gastritis - gradually.
Hepatitis. At viral hepatitis anorexia develops initial stage disease and is accompanied by fatigue, malaise, headache, pain in the joints and throat, photophobia, cough, rhinitis, nausea and vomiting, and enlarged liver. Anorexia can also occur in subsequent stages, leading to weight loss accompanied by dark urine, jaundice, pain in the right hypochondrium, and possibly irritability and severe itching. At non-viral hepatitis Anorexia and its accompanying symptoms are the same as for viral hepatitis, but may vary depending on the cause of hepatitis and the degree of liver damage.

Diseases of the genitourinary system

Chronic renal failure. Usually accompanied by chronic anorexia and, very importantly, changes in all body functions.

Other diseases

Pernicious anemia. In this disease, concomitant anorexia can lead to significant weight loss.
Cancer. Chronic anorexia is observed along with possible loss weight, weakness, apathy and general exhaustion.

Mental disorders

Alcoholism. Usually accompanied by chronic anorexia, ultimately leading to exhaustion.
Anorexia neurosis. Gradually developing chronic anorexia leads to life-threatening exhaustion, skeletal muscle atrophy, loss of adipose tissue, constipation, amenorrhea, dry skin, sleep disturbances, changes in appearance, shortness of breath and decreased sex drive. Paradoxically, a person at the same time retains increased excitability and tone, actively engages in physical exercise.
Depressive syndrome. In this case, anorexia is observed along with shortness of breath, inability to concentrate, indecisiveness, delirium, insomnia, frequent changes sentiments and gradual social degradation.

Medicines and procedures

Anorexia develops as a result of the use of amphetamine, as well as other psychostimulants, including caffeine. Chemotherapy drugs, sympathomimetics (for example, ephedrine) and some antibiotics. Anorexia may also indicate intoxication (poisoning caused by the effect on the body of toxic substances that have entered it from the outside or formed in the body itself). Anorexia can cause radiation therapy, possibly due to metabolic disorders. An increase in blood glucose levels as a result of intravenous infusion of solutions can also lead to anorexia.

Treatment of anorexia

In case of sudden weight loss, hospital treatment is necessary, since there is a real threat to life from exhaustion and severe metabolic and endocrine disorders. It is necessary to prescribe split 6-7 meals a day in small portions under the supervision of staff, introducing a variety of dishes into the diet, in children infancy- normalization of complementary feeding.

Prescribe vitamins, not large doses insulin and drugs to increase appetite. For severe exhaustion, multivitamins and hormones are indicated. For the neurotic nature of anorexia, tranquilizers, small doses of antipsychotics, educational psychotherapy about the dangers of fasting, the consequences of the disease with a reorientation of values, and in some cases hypnosis are indicated.

For the treatment of anorectic syndrome in schizophrenia, neuroleptics are of great importance. Drugs and their dosages are selected individually, taking into account tolerability and severity of the condition. IN special cases apply artificial nutrition with the introduction of nutrient solutions into a vein.

Anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa occupies a special place. This is a pathological condition that manifests itself in the conscious restriction of food in order to lose weight. Occurs in adolescents 15 years of age and older, more often in girls. An obsessive idea of being overweight and the need to lose weight appears.

To achieve this goal, patients limit themselves in food up to complete refusal of food, use intensive physical exercise, walking or running long distances, taking large doses of laxatives and diuretics. If it is impossible to bear long fasting patients eat, even overeat, but induce artificial vomiting.

At first, the appetite is not impaired, at times there is a feeling of hunger, and in connection with this, periodic overeating. Weight drops quickly, appear mental disorders; mood swings from “bad to good” (from one extreme to another), an obsessive desire to look at oneself in the mirror, etc.

Anorexia nervosa is very closely related to another pathology - dysmorphomania (this is a deeper disorder, of a psychotic level, when a painful conviction in the presence of an imaginary physical defect acquires an overvalued or delusional character, i.e., cannot be corrected and is accompanied by a lack of criticism from the patient). The painful conviction of being too fat leads patients to the idea of getting rid of this deficiency.

This belief can arise on real grounds, that is, in the presence of a certain excess weight, as a rule, psychogenically (offensive remarks addressed to the patient - “thick as a barrel”, “fat”, “you need to eat less”, etc.). In other cases, completeness is imaginary, and the thought of losing weight is overvalued or delusional, and the condition itself is initial stage in the development of schizophrenia.

At first, patients very carefully hide from their parents both the motives of their behavior and their methods of losing weight. They try to feed their portion of food to the dog, hide the food and then throw it away, quietly transfer the food to other people’s plates. They try to stick to the lowest calorie diets. Even after achieving significant weight loss, they are not satisfied with it.

They stubbornly continue to lose weight using other methods (enemas, laxatives, exhausting physical activity). After 1.5-2 years, the disease loses from 20 to 50% of its previous body weight and looks extremely emaciated. The most typical manifestation of anorexia nervosa is amenorrhea (absence of menstruation), which occurs either immediately or after a period of scanty, infrequent menstruation. Such patients, at the insistence of their parents, turn to gynecologists, without knowing about the real reason menstrual irregularities.

The only way to get rid of this is proper nutrition and weight gain to a certain critical mass (usually kg). For such patients, a typical desire is to overfeed other family members: mother, younger brothers and sisters. They take great pleasure in watching others eat and gain weight (just as a recovered alcoholic takes pleasure in getting others drunk and watching them get drunk).

Decreased appetite in adults: possible causes and diagnosis

Doctors understand a decrease in appetite as a partial or complete refusal to eat. This happens for various reasons, including serious illnesses and, in the absence of qualified assistance, leads to serious consequences.

General information

It is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of hunger and appetite. Hunger is a reflex that occurs if the body does not receive food at a certain time. The mechanism of its development is as follows: the level of glucose in the blood decreases, after which a signal is sent to the hunger centers. At this moment, a person may feel increased salivation, a heightened sense of smell, and a tugging sensation in the pit of the stomach. This area is a projection of the stomach, therefore it always makes a person aware of the feeling of hunger.

note! When hunger occurs, a person does not have the desire to eat only certain foods. He eats everything.

Appetite is a special manifestation of the feeling of hunger, in which individual favorite foods are selected. It is influenced by the time of day, emotional state, nationality of a person, religion, and finally.

Decreased appetite refers to a state when a person does not want anything. There is a concept of changes in appetite when habitual taste needs are disrupted. Doctors also diagnose a complete lack of appetite, leading to anorexia.

Causes of decreased appetite

A decrease in appetite is usually preceded by:

Intoxication of the body due to inflammation or poisoning. Due to the fact that at such moments he spends all his energy on removing toxins, digestion of food fades into the background.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, which are accompanied by pain and discomfort.
Malfunctions of the endocrine system organs due to diabetes mellitus, hormonal imbalance.
Oncology (stomach, colon or blood cancer).
Autoimmune diseases (scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis).
Depression, neuroses, neuropsychic disorders.
Side effects after taking painkillers - morphine, ephedrine.
Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.
Pregnancy.
Excess fatty foods in the diet.
Metabolic disorders due to poor nutrition.
Adaptation of the body during physical activity, to which he succumbs for the first time.
Low mobility and sedentary work.
Individual lactose intolerance, celiac disease.
Bad habits – smoking, alcohol, drugs.

Important! Quite harmless habits can also cause a dulling of appetite, namely: abuse of chocolate, coffee, and powerful energy drinks.

It should be noted that there are diseases in which a person also loses the desire to eat.

Bronze disease, or Addison's disease, is an endocrine disease associated with adrenal dysfunction.
Still-Chauffer disease is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
Typhoid fever.
Dementia.
Gastroesophageal reflux - when the contents of the stomach are thrown back into the esophagus.
Stomach and duodenal ulcers.
Schizoaffective disorder.

Associated symptoms

There is an opinion that a good appetite is a sign of health. Due to the fact that during the day the feeling of hunger and appetite replace each other, a person saturates his body, while remaining at the same weight. This is a kind of balance that ensures normal functioning.

If this balance is disrupted for psychological or other reasons, appetite may disappear. Sometimes the feeling of hunger disappears along with it.

Note! Lack of desire to eat for several hours is not a reason for frustration. This happens when, during a previous meal, a person eats a dish that is too high in calories. In other words, at such moments the body is provided with energy for a longer period of time.

The absence of hunger for 5 - 8 hours makes you think. By the time they expire, the blood glucose level will probably decrease, and the person will feel a loss of strength and weakness. After satiation, the stomach full of food will stretch, the glucose concentration will increase and a signal will be sent to the brain to stop saturation.

It is interesting that scientists have established: a person subconsciously chooses those products that his body needs in given time. Athletes prefer to eat salty foods after training to replenish salt loss due to sweat.

Diagnostics

If your appetite decreases, you should consult a doctor. He will prescribe a full examination of the body, including:

What to do if you lose your appetite

If diseases that could cause loss of appetite are identified, therapy is prescribed to eliminate them. At the same time, doctors recommend adjusting the schedule and portions of food intake. In other words, they advise eating 5 to 6 small meals a day. The last meal should be 4 hours before bedtime. You should spend about 30 minutes per meal, chewing the pieces slowly.

Snacks should be avoided. Sweets should be replaced with fruits, sauces and marinades with spices, as they stimulate the appetite. For some patients, doctors prescribe vitamin B and zinc, which enhance the sense of smell. It is also important to maintain a drinking regime, especially when playing sports.

Note! Nausea during this period is relieved with Promethazine and other similar drugs. To improve the functioning of the thyroid gland, hormone substitutes are prescribed. Dementia is treated with high-calorie nutritional mixtures, inflammation with antibiotics.