Article archive / July 1, 2010
Originally published: . Volume 1, No. 11. Source pages: 7.
Nutritional deficiencies may precede or further complicate cases of anorexia nervosa. Zinc deficiency can cause anorexia, presumably because zinc is important in parts of the brain involved in food seeking, serotonin production, and weight regulation. In one study, zinc supplementation and placebo were given to 35 patients with anorexia nervosa. The group given zinc showed an increase in BMI, twice that of the placebo group. Zinc may be useful in the treatment or prevention of anorexia nervosa.
"Controlled Trial of Zinc Supplementation in Anorexia Nervosa", Birmingham, Carl L., et al, International Journal of Eating Disorders, 1994;15(3):251-255.
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