[Click! Health] Short-Term Diets for Body Profile: Beware of 'This'

In recent years, "Bada Profile," which involves creating a toned body through diet and exercise and capturing it in photos, has gained attention. Many people undergo extreme exercise and dietary control for a short period to shoot their Bada Profile. When dieting in a short period, individuals can become extremely sensitive to weight changes, which may lead to eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, so caution is necessary.

Professor Park Hyung-geun of the Department of Psychiatry at Seoul Asan Medical Center explained, "Eating disorders are conditions where mental issues cause problems with food intake." The representative disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, which are closely connected. Patients with anorexia nervosa feel anxiety and fear about gaining weight and believe they are obese even when they are not. Therefore, they restrict their food intake or engage in behaviors such as inducing vomiting after eating to reduce their weight.

Bulimia nervosa is not simply temporary overeating or food craving but a loss of control over food intake. Patients consume an excessive amount of food irrationally and intentionally induce vomiting or diarrhea after binge eating. Symptoms of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa can occur simultaneously or only some symptoms may appear.

Eating disorders can cause secondary problems due to weight loss and vomiting. In very thin women, hormone secretion from the brain can be blocked, leading to amenorrhea. Additionally, poor nutritional status can cause brain atrophy, resulting in symptoms such as decreased concentration and memory loss. Psychological changes may include increased anxiety, feelings of depression, or impulses to self-harm.

Anorexia nervosa is diagnosed by determining whether the patient refuses to maintain a minimum normal weight relative to their age and height or has distorted thoughts about their weight, body, or appearance. Bulimia nervosa is diagnosed based on repeated binge eating, inappropriate behaviors to prevent weight gain, and engaging in binge eating or compensatory behaviors on average twice a week for at least three months.

Professor Park Hyung-geun stated, "Eating disorders require long treatment periods and have frequent relapses, so it is crucial to seek professional help." He added, "Severely underweight patients receive treatment to restore weight and nutritional status, and if weight recovery is difficult or other complications arise, hospitalization may be necessary." Treatments also include cognitive-behavioral therapy for healthy weight gain and maintenance, family therapy involving relatives, and medication to treat accompanying depression.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.