Starvation Syndrome – The Effects of Semi-Starvation

Disordered patterns of eating play a central role in the maintenance of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and other specified feeding and eating disorders (OSFED). For this reason, psychoeducation regarding the consequences of abnormal patterns of eating are an important aspect of treatment. The transdiagnostic model of eating disorders identifies several processes which contribute to disordered eating across diagnostic groups (Fairburn et al., 2003). These include:

• Overvalued beliefs about shape, weight, eating, and control. People with eating disorders base much of their self-worth on their ability to control their shape, weight, and eating. Other features of eating disorders are believed to stem from this ‘core psychopathology’, including extreme weight control behaviors (e.g., self-induced vomiting, driven exercise), body-shape checking and avoidance, and preoccupation with weight and appearance (Cooper & Dalle Grave, 2017).
• Dietary restraint. Overvalued beliefs about shape, weight, and eating lead individuals to establish strict dietary rules which

Research shows that how we eat and how much we eat can have a big impact on the way we think, feel, and behave. The reason scientists know a lot about this is because of a famous study called the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, which explored the effects of starvation. Can we look at this handout together? I think it could be relevant to the difficulties you are experiencing.

• Which symptoms of semi-starvation do you relate to? What problems do they cause you?
• What does the Minnesota study suggest might be causing those symptoms?
• Semi-starvation can be a result of long periods of restriction, eating irregularly, avoiding foods like carbohydrates, or compensating after eating. How does that fit your pattern of eating?
• The researchers found that many of the participants’ symptoms of semi-starvation reversed when they ate more regularly and restored weight. How might things improve for you if you

• Kalm, L. M., & Semba, R. D. (2005). They starved so that others be better fed: remembering Ancel Keys and the Minnesota experiment. The Journal of Nutrition, 135, 1347-1352.
• Keys, A., Brozek, J., Henschel, A., Mickelsen, O., & Taylor, H. L. (1950). The biology of human starvation. University of Minnesota Press.
• Waller, G., Cordery, H., Corstorphine, E., Hinrichsen, H., Lawson, R., Mountford, V., & Russell, K. (2007). Cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders: A comprehensive treatment guide. Cambridge University Press.