Findings from early nutritional studies may have traction in solving eating disorders and disordered eating. As researchers continue to try to understand the physical and psychological workings of conditions like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder, some scientists are turning to relatively old data to find new answers.

The Minnesota Semi-Starvation Study brought attention to the effect that nutrition and the lack thereof can have on one’s physical, mental, and social state.

In the mid-20th century, nutritionist and scientist Ancel Keys led an experiment composed of 36 men who, due to various reasons, didn’t participate in the World War II military draft. These volunteers participated in the study to help determine how one recovers from starvation. It was influenced largely by the 1941 Leningrad Hungry Winter where families had to subsist on small rations and suffered malnutrition due to the war.

The data collection period lasted one year and consisted of a three-month standardization period, six-month semi-starvation period, and a three-month rehab period. According to the Journal of Nutrition, “during the standardization period, the men felt well-fed and full of energy. Many initially volunteered in local settlement houses, participated in music and drama productions in Minneapolis, and took advantage of the various cultural activities available throughout the city.”

After the research study concluded, Keys held a press conference where he stated, “enough food must be supplied to allow tissues destroyed during starvation to be rebuilt … unless calories are abundant, then extra proteins, vitamins and minerals are of little value.”

Lynn Brann, Ph.D., a registered dietitian and assistant professor in the Department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition says that the research findings from the semi-starvation study help us understand the effect disordered eating has on one’s mood and nutritional status.

“This was the first experimental study of its kind to examine both the physiological and psychological effects of semi-starvation,” she said. “Researchers have speculated that the implications of semi-starvation, including undernutrition, are similar for individuals who significantly restrict food/calories”.

The research findings of the study include an obsession with food related to increased palatability and decreased control.

“There is evidence to show that people who frequently diet have greater preoccupation with food. This was seen in the Minnesota Semi-Starvation Study during the starvation period,” Brann said.

Other significant findings include fat and muscle loss, fatigue, deterioration in metal health, decreased ability to learn. The researchers predicted the physical effects of starvation on the human body, but not the psychological effect, like personality changes, irritability, depression and social isolation.

Brann believes that managing a healthy weight depends on a variety of factors.

“Weight regulation is quite complicated because there are both genetic and environmental influences on weight,” she said. “People can focus on eating a diet mostly rich in whole foods while listening to their internal cues of hunger and fullness.”

Back when I was active in competitive sports, I was obsessed with my weight. I thought the calories in a meal or snack significantly impacted my performance on endurance courses. Fast forward a few years later, and I learned the benefits of mindful eating, and I now enjoy my food and savor its flavor.

Sherie Ramsgard, a nurse practitioner specializing in psychiatry, says that obsessions with food, body weight, and shape may also signal an eating disorder. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.

“Disordered eating refers to a wide range of abnormal eating behaviors, many of which are shared with diagnosed eating disorders. The main thing differentiating disordered eating from an eating disorder is the level of severity and frequency of behavior,” Ramsgard said.

She encourages people to question their definition of normal eating.

Khija Rockett is a senior nutrition major. Her column appears weekly in Pulp. She can be reached at kmrocket@syr.edu or on Twitter @soulandhealth.

Published on May 22, 2016 at 12:37 am