How is appetite regulated?
A complex system is responsible for the desire to eat: signals from an empty stomach, glucose levels, hormones of adipose tissue and intestines, as well as brain centers associated with mood and taste. Any link can fail. During inflammation, immune substances directly suppress appetite, so you don’t feel like eating during an infection. Delayed gastric emptying creates early satiety: a person feels full after a few spoons. Depression and anxiety reduce interest in food along with interest in other things.
- Inflammation suppresses the hunger center
- Delayed gastric emptying results in early satiety
- Impaired taste and smell reduces the pleasure of eating
- Mood and appetite are regulated by common brain centers
Digestive diseases
From the gastrointestinal tract, appetite most often suffers with gastritis, peptic ulcers, inflammation of the pancreas, diseases of the liver and gall bladder. Characterized by a connection with food, heaviness after a small portion, nausea, belching, and changes in stool. Liver diseases include bitterness in the mouth, jaundice, and dark urine. Special attention requires aversion to meat food, prolonged early satiety and weight loss in people over 45 years old - in such cases, gastric endoscopy is mandatory.
- Gastritis and peptic ulcer
- Chronic pancreatitis
- Hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver
- Gallstone disease
- Celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease
- Tumors of the gastrointestinal tract
Hormones, infections and medications
Appetite is suppressed by infections - from common ARVI to tuberculosis and chronic foci of inflammation. A low thyroid function and adrenal insufficiency also reduce the desire to eat. A very common and easily removable cause is medications: antibiotics, painkillers, iron supplements, metformin, chemotherapy drugs, many psychotropic drugs. In older people, polypharmacy, dry mouth, problems with teeth and dentures, and decreased taste and smell contribute.
- Acute and chronic infections
- Hypothyroidism and adrenal insufficiency
- Chronic kidney disease
- Antibiotics, painkillers, iron supplements
- Dental problems and dry mouth
- Taking a large number of drugs at the same time
Mental state and nutrition
Depression is one of the most common and underestimated causes of loss of appetite in adults. It is accompanied by depressed mood, loss of interest, sleep disturbances and fatigue. Anxiety, on the contrary, often causes a lump in the throat and nausea at the thought of food. In adolescents and young women, refusal to eat may be part of an eating disorder: then the weight loss is deliberate, there is a fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of the body. These conditions are treatable, and you should seek help as you would for any other illness.
- Depression and apathy
- Anxiety disorder
- Eating disorders
- Chronic stress and burnout
- Dementia and loneliness in the elderly
Examination and what to do
First, the doctor clarifies how long the problem lasts, whether there is weight loss and alarming signs, what medications the person is taking. Basic set - general and biochemical blood test, TSH, general urine test; according to indications, EGDS, abdominal ultrasound and chest x-ray are added. While the search for the cause is underway, it is useful to eat more often and in small portions, make dishes more nutritious, do not force yourself and monitor your drinking. Appetite cannot be restored with stimulants without a doctor's prescription.
- General and biochemical blood test
- TSH and glucose
- Endoscopy for stomach complaints and weight loss
- Abdominal ultrasound
- Eat 5-6 times a day in small portions
- Record your weight once a week
